Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Closed circuit television cameras, CCTV, installed in Littleton and many other towns and villages across the country are not operational following an intervention by the Data Protection Commissioner under the current legislation which permits only local authorities to monitor the cameras. The Garda Síochána is willing and able to monitor in real time but under the legislation it is not permitted to do so. This is farcical. Cameras read in real time are a preventative measure. When not read in real time, and if the Garda has to approach local authorities for permission to enter their premises to read the cameras, it is reactive policing. This is a big issue at the junction to our motorways and on the approach roads into our towns. I ask the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan, to outline when the amending legislation to correct this anomaly, which has serious consequences, particularly for rural policing, will be brought forward.

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