A centralised Garda unit will be established to enable gardai to respond more effectively to requests for clearance for people who will be working with children, the Department of Justice has announced.
The logistics and details of establishing a central unit are being finalised.
The spokesman said the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, had expressed in the Dail a wish to extend, as soon as possible, Garda clearance to people who would have "regular and unsupervised contact with children or other vulnerable persons" irrespective of whether or not they work in healthcare.
Since 1994, Gardai have carried out clearance checks on healthcare staff in the statutory sector who have regular and unsupervised contact with children.
The Government's delay in providing Garda clearance for volunteers and staff in youth and community groups was described by Mr Tony Murphy, the chief executive of the National Youth Federation, as "totally unacceptable and little more than discriminatory".