Date still to be fixed for introduction of mandatory Garda vetting

on 11/03/2013 00:00:00

The 20,000 organisations registered with the unit have been told they will have to wait almost three months before they can secure clearance for anyone yet to be vetted.

"All organisations registered for vetting are aware of this timeframe and have been advised to factor this into recruitment processes," said a Garda statement.

Last month, it was announced that an additional 25 civil servants were to be deployed from the Department of Agriculture to the Garda unit to help clear the backlog.

However, when these staff are deployed they will first have to undergo a three- month training period, followed by a three-month induction period "of close supervision and intensive quality control of their work", according to the Garda press office.

Therefore, the new staff will not be operating at full capacity for another six months at least.

"This training and induction programme is necessary in order to maintain the security, integrity, confidentiality and accountability of the overall Garda vetting process and to mitigate potential risk accruing to An Garda Siochána from new and inexperienced personnel conducting this work," said a Garda spokesman.

It had originally been hoped that mandatory reporting could come fully into force as early as this month, but the Department of Justice has confirmed that no date has been fixed for full implementation.

"The minister is in consultation with other departments with a view to determining the appropriate date for commencement of the act," said a spokesman.

Gardaí are already warning families that once full implementation comes into place, they should ask any organisation, whether it is the HSE, GAA, IRFU, FAI, or Scouting Ireland, for vetting details of people working or volunteering alongside their children or vulnerable adult relatives.

"It comes back to education and the responsibility of both families and the organisations that work with children and with vulnerable adults. It is incumbent upon parents to ask if people working within an organisation are vetted," said a Garda spokesman. "We can't be everywhere so parents should seek assurance."