Health workers wait six months for Garda vetting

GARDA vetting checks on key health workers are taking up to six months, despite the same probes being carried out in Britain within just 10 days.

Significant extra numbers of civilian staff are needed by the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) as the number of people it is checking has soared from 187,864 in 2007 to 246,194 in 2009.

Fine Gael education spokesperson Brian Hayes believes the 83-member GCVU, which includes 77 civilians and six gardaí, needs to be exempted from the recruitment ban and expanded as it risks being “overwhelmed” by demand.