Vetting procedures in this country are in place to protect children and vulnerable adults. As such they demand rigorous procedures to ensure their integrity and to maintain the highest level of confidence by the public and organisations availing of them. The current Garda vetting system is delivered in a standard format to each organisation registered with the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) for vetting purposes. The methodology used is in line with best practice internationally.
A vetting disclosure is made in response to a written request and with the permission of the person who is the subject of that request. Garda vetting disclosures are issued to the organisations registered with the GCVU in respect of a particular post or employment. The Unit processed approximately 328,000 vetting applications on behalf of these organisations in 2012 and expects to receive in the region of 350,000 applications by the end of 2013. The average processing time for vetting applications is seven weeks. This is a marked improvement on the processing times of 14 weeks which prevailed in July this year.
The Deputy may wish to note that elements of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 are under review at present and a number of amendments are planned to the legislation prior to its commencement early next year. In that context, I will also be seeking to amend the Act to minimise the extent of duplicate vetting. In particular, I will be seeking to make explicit in the Act that where more than one organisation shares the services of the same volunteer/employee, they can share a vetting disclosure, with the consent of the person who has been vetted.