Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to increase the efficiency of the Garda Vetting Unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11880/11]

Alan Farrell (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 156: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he proposes to provide the Garda Síochána with the necessary resources to improve the response time of the Garda vetting applications process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11920/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 156 together.

I share the concerns which have been expressed by various Deputies at the length of time currently being taken to process vetting applications. The vetting service has been expanded greatly in recent years as part of an ongoing, phased programme to roll-out vetting to an increasing number of organisations in the child and vulnerable adult care sectors. This target group is the clear policy priority and I am sure all Members of the House will agree with this approach. Obviously this has led to an increased number of applications for vetting being received in the Garda Central Vetting Unit. I recognise that it is important to process these applications within a reasonable time frame both for the benefit of the applicants and the organisations involved.

Responsibility for the deployment of Garda personnel is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner, taking into account all his requirements. I am informed by the Garda authorities that at present there are a total of five Gardaí, 76 full-time Garda civilian personnel and ten temporary civilian personnel assigned to the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU). This represents a very significant increase in the level of personnel assigned to the unit, which stood at only 13 before the current process of development in Garda vetting began in 2005.

A number of immediate measures are being taken to improve the situation. The sanction of the Department of Finance has been obtained to retain the services of ten temporary employees in the GCVU. A further sanction has been obtained to engage an additional ten temporary employees for the Unit and these are now being recruited. This should have an impact on processing times.

In addition, further steps are under consideration with a view to alleviating the pressure on the staff of the GCVU and to reduce the time taken for the processing of applications. I am informed by the Garda Authorities that, at present, the average processing time for vetting applications received at the GCVU is approximately 10 weeks.

The average processing time for vetting applications fluctuates in line with periods of increased demand. In processing an individual vetting application, additional time may be required in cases where clarification is needed as to the details provided or where other enquiries need to be made, for example, when the person in question has lived and worked abroad. There will always be a reasonably significant time period required to process a vetting application. Registered organisations have been advised to take account of this in their recruitment and selection process. However, the Gardaí make every effort to reduce the time to the minimum possible consistent with carrying out what are very necessary checks.