Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said there is no evidence of widespread abuse. I put it to her that widespread abuse is lawful under our present system of surveillance. Despite the protestations about checks, restrictions and oversight, the reality is that our laws allow for wholesale covert surveillance without proper scrutiny and oversight. Sections 7 and 8 of the 2009 Act specifically allow for tracking devices to be placed on citizens' cars without going to any judicial authority for approval. It allows for a senior officer above the rank of superintendent to basically certify themselves to carry out covert surveillance on citizens. The reports the Judiciary do at the end of the day have no numbers, no reasons are given and there is no proper oversight. They are carried out in a day and a half. That is not fair. We need to have a radical overhaul of all of the legislation in this regard.

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