Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 September 2016
226. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if special needs assistants can be Garda vetted by the Teaching Council to allow them work in a number of schools without having to get individual approval for each school in the same year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26446/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince the introduction in 2006 of the non-statutory Garda vetting arrangements, the Teaching Council has played a central role in the vetting of registered teachers both for the purposes of registration with the Council and as a conduit for school employers for the purposes of the vetting of registered teachers for employment.
Under the non-statutory vetting arrangements, vetting of non-teaching staff (such as Special Needs Assistants (SNAs)) and others was conducted via the relevant diocesan office or school management body which acted as the conduit for schools for this purpose. In the case of ETB schools, vetting of such persons was conducted via the relevant ETB.
Garda vetting procedures were placed on a statutory basis in April 2016 with the commencement, by my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, of the relevant provisions of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016.
At the same time, I separately commenced the vetting related provisions of the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act, 2015 which put the Teaching Council’s role in the vetting of teachers on a statutory basis. The Teaching Council (Amendment) Act, 2015 has also enabled the Teaching Council to put in place a streamlined mechanism that allows school employers to meet the statutory vetting requirements in respect of registered teachers in a timely and efficient manner. However, in accordance with its statutory remit in respect of the teaching profession, the Council’s role in respect of vetting applies to teachers only. As SNAs are not registered teachers, the Teaching Council has no role in relation to their Garda vetting.
Under the new statutory vetting procedures, the relevant diocesan office or school management body continues to be recognised as the relevant conduit organisation for the vetting of SNAs and other non-teaching staff employed by schools and in the case of ETB schools the relevant ETB also continues to be the relevant organisation for such vetting.
