Written answer
An Garda Síochána
1406. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the Garda vetting card; the timeframe for this to go live; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43146/26]
Comment on this
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.