Minister Alan Shatter today announced that sanction has been obtained for the redeployment of 25 additional staff to the Garda Central Vetting Unit.
The Unit, which is responsible, under legislation, for processing vetting applications on behalf of approximately 20,000 organisations registered with it, processed some 350,000 applications in 2012.
Minister Shatter said “Following discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, I am delighted that sanction has been granted for an additional 25 staff to be re-deployed from the Department of Agriculture to the Garda Central Vetting Unit. The Unit, which will become The National Vetting Bureau following commencement of Section 28 of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act, will have a substantially expanded role under new legislation. It is very important to ensure adequate staffing to meet these new demands.”
The additional 25 staff will be located in the Department of Justice offices in Tipperary town which also house the Citizenship Section of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.
The timely processing of vetting applications is of crucial importance to organisations and individuals throughout all sectors of our society. Processing times are currently running at 8 to 10 weeks.
The types of work or activities that require vetting under the National Betting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act include:
· Childcare services.
· Schools.
· Hospitals and health services.
· Residential services or accommodation for children or vulnerable persons.
· Treatment, therapy or counselling services for children or vulnerable persons.
· Provision of leisure, sporting or physical activities to children or vulnerable persons.
· Promotion of religious beliefs.
Garda clearance procedures are also conducted under other legislation including:
· The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Acts, (section 15 of the 1956 Act require the Minister to be satisfied that an applicant for citizenship is of good character.)
· The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004,
· The Taxi Regulation Acts.
· The Road Transport Acts.
· The Private Security Services Act 2004.
Editors Note:
The Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) comprises three Units: The Garda Vetting Unit; The Garda Criminal Records Office and the Garda Data Processing Unit. The GCVU will become that National Vetting Bureau following the commencement of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012.