An Garda Síochána
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Barry Ward (FG), Dún Laoghaire

In respect of operability, renewals and things like that, the Minister mentioned the Garda having a difficulty with online signatures. We have to get over that. If we have a situation where this Government is proposing, for example, online age verification using certain existing ID systems, surely we can also do that for vetting.
I recognise there is a problem with waiting for news to come back from abroad where somebody has lived abroad. Is there something we should be doing at European level to implement a co-operation agreement between countries in the European Union to speed up that process? I am also conscious that, in the vetting process, a letter is sent to every Garda district in which the person lived and the Garda has to wait for information to come back. Is there a way of streamlining that?
In response to a parliamentary question I put to the Minister in February, he indicated improvements to the vetting system might require legislation. Can the Minister clarify whether that will be primary legislation or secondary legislation? Will it come before the House soon, or does he have any news on that?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-19