14. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the recommendations of the Garda vetting review group; if the recommendations will be outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19943/26]

Sentiment score: 0.18

The Minister is aware that Garda vetting is a very important issue for voluntary organisations, schools and healthcare. It takes too long and seems to be quite cumbersome insofar as a person who moves position has to be revetted in a way that does not seem necessary. I am aware there is a Garda vetting review group. Has the Minister received its recommendations or report? Has he had a chance to review them? Will those recommendations be implemented? If so, when?

Sentiment score: 0.07

I am surprised the number is as low as that. I welcome the fact many of them are being dealt with in under ten days, but that does not accord with the anecdotal accounts being given to me. I do not know whether there is prioritisation within the system. There should be, because some of the applications are time sensitive. As regards the issues the Minister has raised, we can see in other jurisdictions that there is a central register, for example, with a rolling account for any individual that can be checked immediately. It should not be up to individual organisations like the Teaching Council or sports clubs to set up transferability. That should be done centrally. It is very important that the recommendations from the Garda vetting review group bring an effectiveness to Garda vetting that means it will be operable and will work, particularly for volunteer organisations. When there is a significant delay in vetting, it discourages volunteers and makes it difficult for sports clubs to get the coaches in to teach the underage teams and things like that. Let us ensure we put in place measures that make vetting work for our communities, as much as anything else.

Sentiment score: 0.08

In respect of operability, renewals and things like that, the Minister mentioned the Garda having a difficulty with online signatures. We have to get over that. If we have a situation where this Government is proposing, for example, online age verification using certain existing ID systems, surely we can also do that for vetting. I recognise there is a problem with waiting for news to come back from abroad where somebody has lived abroad. Is there something we should be doing at European level to implement a co-operation agreement between countries in the European Union to speed up that process? I am also conscious that, in the vetting process, a letter is sent to every Garda district in which the person lived and the Garda has to wait for information to come back. Is there a way of streamlining that? In response to a parliamentary question I put to the Minister in February, he indicated improvements to the vetting system might require legislation. Can the Minister clarify whether that will be primary legislation or secondary legislation? Will it come before the House soon, or does he have any news on that?

Sentiment score: 0.15