322. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average processing time for Garda vetting in Cork currently. [54193/26]

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 (GNVB) under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 (as amended).

The primary purpose of vetting carried out by the Garda National Vetting Bureau (GNVB) is to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. 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.

I am informed by An Garda Síochána that it is not possible to provide statistical information in respect of the number of vetting applications waiting to be processed by county.

The Garda authorities have further advised that the current average turnaround time for vetting applications is approximately 18 business days from the date the application is received at the GNVB, for 85% of applications received.

Garda vetting applications are processed on a first-come, first serve basis in chronological order from date of receipt.