Circular re National Vetting Bureau Act
December 11, 2014
The Irish Hockey Association has received the following communication from the Irish Sports Council with regard to the upcoming commencement of the National Vetting Bureau Act:
· Before the Act could be commenced a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment (T and others v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester) necessitated a review of the disclosure provisions in both the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and the Spent Convictions Bill.
· That review has been completed and amendments to the National Vetting Bureau Act 2012 and consequential amendments to the Spent Convictions Bill 2014 are currently being drafted. Pending the amendment of the 2012 Act, an Administrative Filter for Garda Vetting Disclosures has been introduced, which provides that certain minor offences that are over 7 years old are no longer disclosed.
· No date has yet been set, as this is dependent on the amendments being approved by the Oireachtas. Due to the volume of other legislation before the Oireachtas at present, it is unlikely that the necessary changes in legislation will be considered by the Oireachtas until early in 2015. On that basis, the earliest date that the Act can be commenced is likely to be March/April 2015.
Any further updates will be provided when available.
