The Garda National Vetting Bureau said it has “no concerns” about its ability to handle quickly hundreds of applications for extra teachers, substitute teachers and special needs assistants ahead of the return of the schools. Currently, 163 officials handle applications at the Thurles, Co Tipperary-based bureau, though 97 per cent of all cases are now lodged using the bureau’s e-vetting system. So far this year, the bureau has received just a dozen paper vetting applications, taking four weeks each for processing. Speaking on Monday, Minister for Education Norma Foley said she was confident “there will be a very fast turnaround of Garda vetting”, and no employees would be on school grounds “unless they have been vetted”. The majority of extra teachers needed in September will already have fulfilled Garda vetting requirements, but each school, nevertheless, is required to lodge an application for each individual they expect to be on its grounds.

Source: The Irish Times July 28, 2020 11:24 UTC