Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Question 304: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the revised Garda vetting procedures which require all participants and those involved in community employment schemes to provide evidence if they have lived outside of the country for 12 months; if this timescale will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15821/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Following advice from the Central Garda Vetting Unit in Thurles, it was agreed by senior management in the Department of Social Protection (DSP) that the restriction in the previous Garda Vetting Procedures for Community Employment and Job Initiative Programmes that require Garda Vetting for those applicants on programmes which deal with children and vulnerable adults which stated that: Individuals who lived outside the Island of Ireland for 2 or more continuous years within the last 5 years were not eligible for relevant programmes . would be replaced by the following which is less restrictive and facilitates more open access. The new Guideline, effective Monday March 12, 2012 states:

Residency Abroad

Individuals who lived outside the Island of Ireland for 1 or more continuous years since the age of 16 years of age are required to submit the following documents with their Garda Vetting Forms:

· Original Police Certificate(s) from the country or countries of residence abroad with authenticated translation where necessary and

· Two recent Irish referees from acceptable sources

Where police certification cannot be supplied applicants should submit evidence of efforts to obtain such certificates.

It should be noted that the Garda Vetting Unit can only provide information to DSP on offences committed on the Island of Ireland. An international vetting service is not provided by the Garda Vetting Unit and the only viable method of checking whether or not the applicant has an offence history whilst living abroad is for him/her to provide a Police Certificate for the relevant country or countries lived in. In the particular circumstance of people wishing to work with children or vulnerable adults in Ireland, this is a reasonable and prudent precaution to take given the potential risks involved.

The appropriateness of this DSP requirement can be reviewed when the scheduled child protection legislation is enacted by the Oireachtas.

Notes

1. A Police Certificate is an official document issued by police or government agency of a country to enumerate any criminal records that the applicant may or may not have. Applicants have to submit personal information to request such a record check, the police or government agency may charge a fee. If no record is found, the certificate will indicate such.

2. The two "recent Irish referees from acceptable sources" means two persons who are acceptable to the project sponsor, so that the sponsor may confirm the applicant's suitability before submitting the GV application forms to DSP.

3. The applicant is responsible for the cost of providing the Police Certificates and any translation of same, if they are not in English/Irish.

4. Enquiries regarding the address to apply for Police Certificates in a particular country should be directed to the country's Embassy by the applicant.