Written Answers Nos. 419-435
425. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on concerns of medical professionals at St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin about the serious health problems of a person (details supplied), a prisoner at Portlaoise Prison such that they have called for their immediate release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39301/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that I have been informed by the Irish Prison Service that all concerns expressed by the medical professionals in Saint Vincent's University Hospital have always been, and will continue to be, carefully considered in the context of the provision of medical care to this patient in Portlaoise Prison.
432. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when a Garda vetting application will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; the current processing times for Garda vetting applications; his plans to improve this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39439/13]
View answerI am informed by the Garda authorities that a vetting application on behalf of the individual referred to by the Deputy was received by the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) on 12 August 2013. The application is currently being processed and once completed will be returned to the registered organisation concerned.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the current average processing time for applications is approximately 9 weeks from date of receipt. However, seasonal fluctuations and the necessity to seek additional information on particular applications can result in this processing time being exceeded on occasion. In the interest of fairness and equity, Garda vetting applications are processed in chronological order based on the date of receipt in the GCVU and all organisations registered for Garda Vetting are aware of the processing time-frames for the receipt of Garda vetting and have been advised to factor this into their recruitment and selection process.
It is essential that the GCVU has the resources required to perform this most critical of roles effectively and I have given this matter particular priority. In that regard I have been actively engaged with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. As a result of that engagement, I am pleased to say that the Commissioner has confirmed to me that there are now 134 whole-time equivalent staff (130 civilians and 4 members of the Garda Síochána) assigned to the GCVU, some 41 of whom have been redeployed from elsewhere in the public service since the end of March 2013. Some of these redeployed staff have only recently completed their training in the vetting process, and the full impact of their work will be seen in the coming weeks. Furthermore, I have also recently received sanction for the redeployment of 40 additional staff to the GCVU. This brings the total number of staff in that service to over 170 which, when compared to the average staff allocation of 78 at the Unit over the past two and a half years, represents an increase of 117%.
Development of an e-Vetting solution is underway. This will facilitate the processing of all applications in an e-format, thus removing the time-consuming current process of manually managing all applications received . The initial phase of testing this e-vetting system will take place in the fourth quarter of 2013. When this is achieved, this system will streamline the overall vetting process in this jurisdiction, and further contribute to reductions in processing times for all vetting applications.
435. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the recruitment process for entry into An Garda Síochána will commence. [39632/13]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that there are a number of procedural issues that need to be finalised prior to the formal commencement of the recruitment competition, which is expected in the coming weeks, with the first students entering the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, in mid-2014.
The competition will be run by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of the Garda Commissioner. An announcement will be issued as soon as recruitment starts, both on their website and directly to those who have registered an expression of interest in joining the Garda Síochána.
