Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

599. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will review the rules governing Garda vetting (details supplied) in order to avoid needless duplication of vetting processes, the wasteful allocation of Garda resources associated with this duplication practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30603/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will appreciate, the primary purpose of the Garda employment vetting service is to seek to ensuring the safety of children and vulnerable adults. Accordingly, the vetting process demands rigorous procedures to ensure its integrity and to maintain the highest level of confidence by the public and organisations availing of the service. Full vetting checks are conducted by the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) for each new vetting application received to ensure that the most recent data available in respect of an individual is taken into account. In respect of cases such as that which the Deputy raises the current procedures for vetting are designed to ensure the integrity of the system. Once there has been any significant lapse of time between one employment and another, the original Garda Vetting Disclosure must be revised to take account of any changes in information, such as more recent criminal convictions.

Furthermore, under the Data Protection Acts, any sensitive personal data which employers use in regard to their employees must be current, accurate and up-to-date. The general non-transferability and contemporaneous nature of the current process also protects against the risk of fraud or forgery and is a guarantee of the integrity of the vetting service. Such procedures are in line with best practice internationally.

There are, however, certain limited circumstances where organisations can share a single vetting disclosure where this is agreed to by the vetting applicant. For example, persons involved in voluntary work may be doing work with more than one voluntary organisation at the same time, and may agree with the vetting applicant to share a single vetting disclosure. Similar arrangements arise in the health sector in regard to persons working as locums, agency nurses or other temporary employees in a number of different organisations, or in the education sector where substitute teachers are on panels for substitute teaching in more than one school.

The current average processing time for vetting applications is four weeks. However, in some individual cases additional enquiries may be necessary and this may result in processing times in excess of the average.