147. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his plans to simplify the administrative burden placed on volunteers through Garda vetting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6085/26]

Sentiment score: 0.05

The National Vetting Bureau and the Garda vetting Act have been in place for about 14 years. Has the Minister any plans to simplify the administrative burden placed on volunteers and employees through Garda vetting and the bureau itself? Will he make a statement on that given the length of time it has been in place?

Sentiment score: -0.15

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I agree with him that the system was designed to protect young people and vulnerable adults and I appreciate that must be robust. However, as he has said, it has been segmented and we need a portable system. He mentioned that steps have to be taken. We produced a Bill in 2022 and we were told by the Minister standing in at the time that a body had been investigating the practicalities for some time. We all know that people are getting vetted three, four, five, maybe even six times in the one year for their employment, the Teaching Council or the rowing, football or soccer club. All of this has to be done, to use the Minister of State's word, in a "segmented" way. The Government has known about this for years now. It knows the administrative burden is far too much. It can be made simpler. What I want to know, and the Minister will forgive me for asking the question, is, given it has known about it for so long: when is this legislation going to be produced?

Sentiment score: 0.10

What we proposed almost four years ago was that the chief bureau officer would establish what we call a register of general consents. The Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers,OPLA, gave great assistance so that people would remain on the register for three years, give their permission and, under section 6, give a general consent to the disclosure of vetting information to any organisation that might require it. At the time, the Minister said the Department must investigate any revetting impact upon constitutional rights, employment law and the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. That is all fine. However, we have a situation with junior parkruns for example, which take place all over the country, where volunteers stand in and keep an eye on the route to make sure children run around in the correct way. There is a danger that this may be cancelled because of an ultra-conservative approach being taken where even someone who stands there for 15 minutes on a Sunday morning would have to be Garda vetted. A register of general consent would avoid this, make it simpler and encourage people to volunteer because a lot of people are put off and groan when they hear they have to be revetted for the second, third or fourth time in a year.

Sentiment score: 0.12