Ms Helen Dixon:

To clarify, rather than engaging in ongoing dialogue with the local authorities with regard to community-based CCTV, we are conducting a set of 31 investigations on the matter. We have also examined the deployment of CCTV by An Garda Síochána. One aspect of those 32 investigations is looking at section 38 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, which provides the legislative basis for CCTV for security purposes in public places. A range of issues will fall out of those investigations. The Data Protection Commission has a dedicated consultation team that can look at other areas. All sorts of organisations seek formal and informal consultations with the commission. If they have something that is at concept stage, they might run it by us to see what data protection issues might arise. Equally, they might consult us on the detail of something that is more advanced. In many instances, organisations are required to have a data protection officer who should be the first line of defence when new things are being implemented. In cases like that referenced by the Deputy, they are required to conduct data protection impact assessments on a mandatory basis. The type of analysis that takes place as part of a data protection impact assessment that is conducted properly will lead to the correct answers and outcomes. We engage with organisations on data protection impact assessments. They are conducting the issues that are arising. In many cases, our consultation team is pointing to an absence in legislative underpinning for various concepts that are brought to us by public sector bodies. We pre-empt those - they often do not proceed and nobody hears anything further about them.