36. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding a review of the Garda vetting procedure to reduce the timelines and administrative burden placed on schools, clubs and other organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34396/26]

42. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on the work of the Garda Vetting Review Group since its establishment; if the group has proposed any recommendations to date for the improvement of the vetting system nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35590/26]

49. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any comparative assessment carried out between Garda vetting procedures and the equivalent process in other EU countries; his views that any lessons can be learned from this type of analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34397/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 42 and 49 together.

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. In this regard I'm conscious that aspects of the current vetting system result in a highly-segmented process. 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.

While there has been no specific comparative analysis of systems in other jurisdictions undertaken, where relevant, approaches in other jurisdictions have been noted.

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.

These changes will require amending legislation and updated technical systems to support the revised approach. This work will make the process more efficient for volunteers and organisations, without compromising essential safeguards.