Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
Departmental Staff
Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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454. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if all persons that are recruited to work in his Department and all the related agencies of his Department are fully vetted before they are employed by his Department and or said agencies. [11089/25]
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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For new entrants to the Civil Service, including my Department, those under consideration for a position are required to complete a health and character declaration and a Garda vetting form. In the event of potential conflicts of interest, candidates may not be considered for certain posts. Where details of a criminal record or current investigation/awaiting trial are returned in a Garda vetting disclosure, or a police clearance disclosure from another jurisdiction, or in the character declaration, a risk assessment is carried out in order to assess the suitability of that candidate.
The following table outlines the position as advised by the bodies under the aegis of my Department:
| Body | Vetting Procedures |
|---|---|
| Office of Public Works | All OPW staff are Garda Vetted. |
| Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery | The ORNL fully vets all staff directly employed by the Office i.e. checks references / professional qualifications (as needed). |
| State Laboratory | All staff go through a prescribed clearance process including Garda vetting with the exception of our third-level students who participate in the State Laboratory Student Placement Programme. |
| Public Appointments Service | All new entrants in via publicjobs.ie are fully vetted; staff coming from other civil service organisations are not re-vetted in terms of security clearance, but other checks are completed (including reference checks). In the majority of cases, staff start once vetting is completed; on rare occasions, in consultation with the Head of People and Culture, staff may begin before vetting is completed, subject to satisfactory vetting. If something transpired on a vetting return that would warrant the removal of an offer to the candidate, the Head of People and Culture would rescind the contract. |
| National Shared Services Office | The NSSO recruits a number of staff through Publicjobs, who are responsible for completing vetting for the staff assigned to the organisation. It also recruits staff through open competitions and completes vetting on all staff that join the NSSO through this process. |
| Office of the Ombudsman | The Office fully adheres to vetting requirements and staff are vetted in accordance with the procedures set out by the Public Appointments Service. |
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