Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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398. To ask the Minister for Finance if all persons 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. [11083/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Recruitment for my Department is carried out in the main by PublicJobs. Once a candidate is under consideration for a position, several pre-employment checks including Garda Vetting are completed before the candidate is deemed suitable for appointment to the Department. When my Department recruits directly, Garda Vetting is carried out via PublicJobs.

Those bodies under the aegis of my Department that employ staff have advised as follows:

Until November 2021, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) obtained Garda vetting for its staff. It received confirmation that the provision of its services were deemed not to constitute ‘relevant services’ as outlined in the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012– 2016. Therefore, the FSPO was deemed not to require Garda vetting of its staff and has not applied for Garda vetting for its staff since November 2021. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) recruits the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman, and arranges Garda vetting. Both are appointed by the Minister for Finance.

In respect of the Tax Appeals Commission, the Appeal Commissioners undergo Garda vetting before joining the organisation. All remaining staff at the Commission are civil servants who are recruited in the normal course of business through the Public Appointments Service.

Prior to their employment, civil servants employed by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners are fully vetted under Section 24 Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004.

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is not an organisation engaged in the specific activities to which Garda vetting applies. It advises that Garda vetting is only applicable and can only be availed of and undertaken for specific bodies, registered with the National Vetting Bureau, as individuals of these organisations are involved in working with children or vulnerable adults.

All employees of the Central Bank of Ireland undergo vetting before starting employment. The Bank assigns staff to the Investor Compensation Company DAC.

The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) conducts a robust vetting process to ensure potential employees meet the requirements for the role they are applying for. The NTMA assigns staff to Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI), the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI).

All persons recruited to work at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General are Garda vetted before they commence employment.