Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 424: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the Garda vetting procedure; the waiting time for such reports to be evaluated; the number on such waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33978/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Garda vetting certificates are issued to specified registered organisations in respect of a particular post or employment in response to a written request and with the permission of the person who is the subject of that request. Decisions on the suitability for the recruitment/engagement of the person concerned rest at all times with the recruiting organisation.

I am informed by the Garda Authorities that at present, there are around 50,000 applications in the course of being processed. The Garda authorities also inform me that the latest information indicates that the average processing time for Garda vetting applications at the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) now is 5 weeks. This is a significant improvement on the average processing time of 12 weeks at the end of last year. All organisations registered for Garda Vetting are aware of the processing time frames for the receipt of Garda vetting and have been advised to factor this into their recruitment and selection process. This processing time can, nevertheless, be affected by seasonal fluctuations or the necessity to seek further information on particular applications which may result in the processing time exceeding the present average of 5 weeks.

I am very conscious of the need to keep the time required to obtain a vetting to the minimum possible. Since taking office I have taken a number of initiatives with a view to achieving this objective. The sanction of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was obtained to retain the services of 10 temporary employees working in the GCVU. Sanction was also obtained to engage an additional 10 temporary employees and these have recently commenced work in the GCVU. A further initiative to provide internships through the National Internship Scheme, "Job Bridge", under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection, is also currently under way.

All of this should have a further positive impact on processing times.