Vetting law changes spark concerns

TELLING employers that a potential employee may pose a risk to children, even though he has not been convicted of any such crime, may be in breach of the Constitution.

The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said new legislation covering this area also placed “undue burdens” on organisations which will be expected to conduct their own investigations into employees.

It said the Scheme of the National Vetting Bureau Bill 2011 extended the scope of workplaces subject to vetting to include all civil servants and local authority employees, even those not in contact with children.