Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

910. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current status of the postal packages and telecommunications messages (regulation) (amendment) Bill; when this Bill will move to the next Stage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27927/23]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The lawful interception of communications is governed by the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993. Under the Act, the Minister for Justice may authorise designated bodies to intercept communications but only for the purposes of investigating serious crime or safeguarding national security, and subject to a number of strict conditions that are set out in the Act.

Interception is a valuable tool in the fight against serious and organised crime and in protecting the security of the State and clearly the nature of communications has changed significantly since the enactment of the Act in 1993. Therefore my Department is working to update the legislation in this complex and sensitive area. To that end, a review of interception legislation is ongoing in my Department to identify the scope and nature of amendments which may be necessary to appropriately modernise the interception framework.

In undertaking this review, it is of course essential to ensure that legislation in this area is not only robust and effective in supporting the needs of the authorities charged with combating serious crime and terrorism, but that the law also remains proportionate in securing that objective and takes full account of the impact on fundamental rights.

The outputs from the review will inform proposals for consideration which I will bring to Government in due course.