John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applications for vetting awaiting decision or clearance as at 1 November 2011; the month in respect of which such vetting applications were first received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36369/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that based on information that is readily available from the Garda Authorities the number of vetting application on hand at the start of November was in the region of 45,000 to 50,000. In relation to providing the Deputy with information pertaining to when those applications were received, I am further informed that this would take an inordinate amount of time to determine and could not be justified given the current demands on the resources of the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU).

However, the Deputy may wish to know that the current average processing time for vetting applications now stands at 5 weeks approximately. 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.

As I have said previously, I am very conscious of the need to keep the time required to obtain a vetting to the minimum possible. Since becoming Minister I have taken a number of measures which have significantly reduced the time taken for the processing of vetting applications. 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 are now working 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.