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 34 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. This includes all operational matters such as the process for local authorities to obtain criminal record checks for local authority housing applicants.

I have contacted the Garda authorities and have been advised that this process remains decentralised (the responsibility of the local Superintendent), as provided for under section 15 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997. As such, records are not held centrally and the information requested is not available.

For the Deputy's information, section 15 provides for local authorities to obtain criminal record checks in respect of persons applying for housing, including persons the authority believes may have been engaged in anti-social behaviour.

To be clear, no individual who applies for social housing in Ireland is subject to Garda vetting. The purpose of vetting under the National Vetting Bureau Acts is to act as an important component of safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society i.e. children and vulnerable adults. However, a local authority may seek information in relation to any person seeking a house from specified persons under section 15 of the 1997 Act, including An Garda Síochána, or from another local authority.