Written answers

Wednesday, 20 July 2011

Department of Justice, Equality and Defence

Garda Vetting Service

10:00 pm

Photo of Barry CowenBarry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 262: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will address the backlog in respect of Garda vetting of persons applying to be personal assistants in independent living centres. [21434/11]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Garda Authorities that the organisation to which the Deputy refers is a registered organisation with the Vetting Unit for the purposes of employment vetting. 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. I am determined to address this aspect of the Garda vetting process.

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 Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU). A further sanction has been obtained to engage an additional ten temporary employees for the Unit and the process of recruiting these is underway. 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.

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. 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.

I am informed by the Garda Authorities that at present there is a total of five Gardaí, 76 full-time Garda civilian personnel and ten temporary civilian personnel assigned to the 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. The GCVU has managed a substantial increase over recent years in the numbers of vetting applications it receives from around 188,000 in 2007 to almost 292,000 in 2010. At present, there are approximately 55,000 applications in the course of being processed.

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