Extra Staff For Garda Vetting Unit

It has been announced that a further 38 extra staff are to be deployed to the Garda Vetting Unit, amid concerns raised recently by Senator Lorraine Higgins regarding lengthy delays for people requiring clearance for employment purposes.

"Minister Kathleen Lynch has informed me that extra staff are to be begin work later this month at the Garda Central Vetting Unit in Thurles, following training and re-deployment.

"Currently one superintendent, two sergeants and approximately 113 civilian personnel are assigned to the Garda central vetting unit. This civilian complement includes 23 staff recently transferred from Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who are undergoing the required training.

"A further 15 staff will commence their training later this month. The current average processing time for applications is approximately 12 weeks from date of receipt.

"I remember in Athenry last year, 63 students who were studying various post-leaving certificate courses in the vocational college, were prevented from undertaking work experience as part of their courses as a result of delays in obtaining Garda vetting clearance.

"Some of them also had placement's withdrawn as a result, which essentially deemed them unemployable for the period of the delay."

Funding Announced To Support Protected Structures

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, today announced the awarding of grant funding to thirty-four local authorities under the Department’s Structures at Risk Fund 2013.

This funding is allocated to enable conservation works to forty-five heritage structures in both private and public ownership deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration and which are protected under the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2012.

Minister Deenihan commented: "I am pleased to announce this funding to help support owners and occupiers of protected structures again in 2013 through my Department’s Structures at Risk Fund. Whilst the funding for built heritage is severely limited due to current budgetary constraints, the Structures at Risk Fund is a targeted investment in the most vulnerable aspects of our built heritage and will support some of Ireland’s most significant architectural, cultural, archaeological and historic buildings."

(CD)