Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Question 363: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that under the vetting system supervised by his Department, a question on the application form for Garda clearance asks a person applying have they ever been convicted of a crime; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of persons have completed the form stating that they have not been convicted but the Gardaí record any person who has been brought to court by the gardaí and this is deemed to be a conviction and is recorded on the computer system and thereby used by Garda clearance to refuse garda clearance when such a person is applying for a position that may not be related in any way to a child protection issue; if he will re-examine this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33247/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) provides employment vetting for a large number of organisations in Ireland which are registered with the Gardaí for this purpose and which employ persons in a full-time, part-time, voluntary or training capacity to work with children and/or vulnerable adults. The primary purpose of the process is the protection of children and vulnerable adults.

Garda Vetting Disclosures are predicated on the signed authorisation of a vetting subject for An Garda Síochána to disclose to the registered organisation "details of all prosecutions, successful or not, pending or completed, and/or convictions which may be recorded in respect of them in the State or elsewhere"; or alternatively that there are "no prosecutions or convictions recorded in respect of them".

The Garda Central Vetting Unit does not provide Garda clearance. The function of the GCVU is to make disclosure, in accordance with a written authorisation from the vetting subject to the registered organisation. Decisions on the suitability of the person concerned rest at all times with the recruiting organisation to which a vetting disclosure is made.