Edward Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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355. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to ensure that the current Garda vetting system remains fit for purpose; the steps he is taking to reduce the administrative burden on volunteers and voluntary organisations; and whether recent technological developments could be utilised to improve and streamline the vetting process while maintaining safeguarding standards. [50328/26]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána under Section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. This includes all operational matters, such as Garda vetting applications which are an operational matter for the Garda National Vetting Bureau under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012.

The primary purpose of vetting carried out by the Garda National Vetting Bureau is to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. Clearly, this requires a robust Garda vetting process that reassures the public, and in particular parents, that appropriate checks are conducted on people taking on positions of trust.

The Government is aware of ongoing concerns regarding certain aspects of the vetting process and I have listened carefully to the views of affected sectors. I believe that the vetting system should be updated to ensure that the burden of seeking vetting disclosures, particularly on volunteers and organisations working in their communities, is minimised to the greatest extent possible, while maintaining the high standards that are necessary.

Further to the work carried out by the Garda Vetting Review Group, steps are now being taken to implement a number of key changes to the process that will ensure it remains robust and effective while improving the service to customers.

In practice, and subject to a general requirement that vetting be renewed every three years, it is envisaged that this will mean that when a person is vetted for the work they will be or are likely to be involved in as part of their employment or volunteering within identified risk categories, the person would not be required to repeat the process if they were to move to another role within the same risk category.

My Department is actively engaging with the Garda National Vetting Bureau on the detailed work of developing the necessary legislative and technical steps to meet these goals in a way that is workable in practice. This includes an assessment of appropriate models for an expansion of digital service delivery, which is a very significant project that will necessarily take time to fully scope and implement.

An Garda Síochána also recognises the administrative burden involved, and, in light of ongoing technological advancements, options to improve efficiency while maintaining robust safeguards continue to be examined. These will be considered as part of wider steps that are now being taken to implement the key changes to the vetting process that I have outlined, to ensure it remains robust and effective while improving the service to customers.