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Seanad
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Garda vetting delays

Summary

Senator Kyne raised delays and logistical difficulties in obtaining Garda vetting, especially where applicants had lived or worked abroad.

Garda vetting is a hugely important part of any job application, and rightly so, particularly for jobs that require people to work with children and I know there are always issues regarding delays. I have come across situations where individuals have worked abroad, for example in Dubai, and had to get the United Arab Emirates to provide that vetting. In one case, a person has run into difficulties in getting that in terms of logistics. The person worked in a similar position in the United Kingdom and did not require vetting for the time in Dubai. The Garda states that the person would have to fly back and actually get fingerprinted in the United Arab Emirates and would require a request form, which the Garda does not provide. It advised the lady to get one from the embassy. The embassy claims it does not have such forms. The HSE states that it is up to the applicant to sort the clearance forms with individual authorities so it will not have anything to do with it. This all has to be done within three days or a job offer can be rescinded. It is a very onerous requirement for somebody to actually fly back to a country in which she previously served a number of years to try to get fingerprints taken. To do so a person must have a request form that the Garda and the embassy do not know anything about and the HSE states it is nothing to do with it. At a time when we absolutely require staff, when there is somebody qualified who has spent time abroad in the UK and in Dubai, it is important that there would be greater flexibility and leniency regarding State jobs such as this. As I said, garda vetting is hugely important, and we understand that, but to be able to rescind a job offer in the space of three days because a person does not have vetting from a country where they cannot get the request forms to actually go there and get their fingerprints taken is onerous. Can the Leader contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, and the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, about cases like this?

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