Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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78. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the length of time it should take for Garda vetting for a person accessing social housing in County Limerick. [38889/16]

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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79. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason Garda vetting for a person accessing social housing in County Limerick can take more than three months. [38890/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 79 together.

I am informed by the Garda Authorities that requests with regard to social housing are outside the remit of the vetting arrangements that are in place for other purposes. In accordance with Section 15 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997, a housing authority may make requests for information to a number of specified persons in certain circumstances. In respect of An Garda Síochána, requests for information from a housing authority are processed by the Superintendent in Charge of the District wherein the subject of the request resides and these are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. As the Deputy will appreciate I have no role in the allocation of social housing.

In accordance with the provisions of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012-2016, the Garda National Vetting Bureau provides vetting for persons seeking employment with registered organisations where the employment involves substantial unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults.