Noel Coonan TD has welcomed the news that the Government will extend for a further six months the contractual arrangements of staff that were to lose their jobs in the Garda Vetting Unit.

“Minister Alan Shatter has informed me that there were ongoing contacts throughout the week between the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Expenditure Reform and as a result the Government will extend employment for a further 6 months and the appropriate contractual arrangements are to be finalised in the coming days,” said Deputy Noel Coonan.

“Last week I spoke to the Minister for Justice of difficulties concerning temporary workers contracts in the Garda Vetting Unit and as a result his officials raised the matter immediately with Minister Howlins officials as the Minister for Justice believed there was a need to retain the temporary workers for a further period.

Speaking in the Dáil last Wednesday, Minister Shatter said he “accepted the case” that Noel had made “in private” with him in relation to employment issues at the Garda Vetting Unit and he had noted the points raised.

“The Minister outlined to me early last week that he was in contact with Brendan Howlin TD, Minister for Public Expenditure in relation to the Vetting Unit staffing issue,” said Deputy Coonan, “and he would revert to me upon conclusions of discussions with Minister Howlin.”

“I am pleased that the Minister has honoured his commitment to me and acknowledged the huge amount of work completed throughout the year by the Vetting Unit which has resulted in the average time for vetting of an individual being reduced from 12 weeks when the Minister took up office to now less than 5 weeks,” concluded Deputy Coonan.

Related posts:

1. Coonan Welcomes Reduction in Garda Vetting Time
2. Deputy Noel Coonan Welcomes Ten Extra Staff Appointed to Thurles Garda Vetting Unit to handle 60,000 Applications
3. Extra Staff to be Deployed to Thurles’s Garda Vetting Unit to Handle Increase in Applications –Deputy Noel Coonan
4. Deputy Noel Coonan calls on Minister to Protect North Tipperary Constituents from further Cutbacks in Services at Nenagh Hospital
5. Centralising Nenagh’s Medical Card Section will Lead to Chaos

Tags: Garda Vetting Unit

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