Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2014
280. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012 will be presented for Report Stage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36562/14]
View answerThe Bill has passed Committee Stage in the Dáil, having passed all stages in the Seanad. However, before the Bill could be taken at Report Stage, a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment necessitated a review of the disclosure provisions in both the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and the Spent Convictions Bill. That review has been completed and amendments to the Vetting Act and consequential amendments to the Spent Convictions Bill are currently being drafted. The Bill will be enacted at the earliest opportunity. Pending the amendment of the Bill, an Administrative Filter for Garda Vetting Disclosures has been introduced, which provides that certain minor offences that are over 7 years old are no longer disclosed.
