Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House for the Second Stage debate on the Vehicle Registration Data (Automated Searching and Exchange) Bill 2018. As he has said, the Bill gives effect to the vehicle registration component of EU Council decisions 615 and 616 of 2008, which are known as the Prüm decisions. The aim of these decisions is to improve interstate co-operation among the nations of the European Union, as well as Iceland and Norway. The Prüm decisions allow the authorities in each member state to search each other's national databases of vehicle registrations, DNA and fingerprint information through the EU's vehicle and transport network. Fianna Fáil supports this Bill, which gives effect only to the vehicle registration aspects of the Prüm decisions. It represents a common-sense approach to cracking down on crime in this jurisdiction and in the jurisdictions of other EU member states. I remind the House that Ireland was supposed to implement the Prüm decisions by August 2011. The former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, laid the legislative groundwork for the introduction of the Prüm decisions in early 2010. Unfortunately, this Government and its predecessor, which purported to be in favour of law and order, sat on their hands for almost seven years and totally failed to implement these much-needed security measures.

Significant and rapid improvements in road and other transport infrastructure in Ireland and elsewhere have made it increasingly easy for criminals to move within and across jurisdictions. As we know - this was mentioned in this Chamber yesterday - there has a been a large spike in travelling criminal gangs using our motorway network to move quickly between different parts of the country. It is crucial that we make every effort to keep pace with criminals who do not hesitate to exploit all available technologies and opportunities to prey on innocent citizens. We need to be proactive and innovative in our fight against crime. This ratification represents just one of the steps that will need to be taken to keep our citizens safe. Many proposals and suggestions have been made in light of recent criminal activities. Fianna Fáil intends to introduce legislation to facilitate the use of CCTV on our motorways. The creation of this comprehensive database of vehicle registrations will greatly enhance our ability to use such CCTV systems locally and internationally for crime prevention purposes.