Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for letting me speak at this point. I have to leave early so I will not be here for the Minister of State's reply. I support the Bill and thank Senator Malcolm Byrne for bringing it to the House. Three great loves of mine are empowering local government, being tough on crime and good data management. I supported the Labour Party's Local Government (Use of CCTV in Prosecution of Offences) Bill 2021 last year but argued that its scope needed to be broadened. That seems to have happened with this Bill which accounts for the data obtained via mobile camera systems and drones in addition to the more traditional fixed and permanent CCTV systems.

If it were up to me I would see a further expansion of the admissibility of CCTV footage in our courts in the prosecution of more serious crimes rather than drawing the line at litter and waste management, although perhaps this Bill is not the place to pursue that. It does strike me that it is bizarre that we would pave the way for a greater role in CCTV in the prosecution of someone who throws a bag of crisps out on the road but not an individual who commits an assault in the same spot.

I spoke last year about how local authority executives can be slow to seek authorisation for CCTV systems given the difficulty associated with being data protection officers at that scale. This is still an issue that needs to be solved. Perhaps city and county managers would be more willing to implement these systems if they felt more supported in that function. An Garda Síochána could certainly play a role in this regard.

I love the idea of this legislation coming in. The fact that almost €100 million is spent every year on waste management in this country is scandalous. The magic words in this, and Senators may take it from me because I have learned over the years from the system we set up in Duleek, are the data controller and the processor. That is it. It is really important to specify who the data controller is and how the information is going to be processed. Those roles are key.

Another thing I would like to see is the calibration of the system. It is not provided for here. Speed cameras have to be calibrated every year. Breathalysers have to be calibrated every year as well. To have a calibration system put in place for these would be ideal. I certainly welcome the Bill. There are changes that can be made but we will certainly work with the Senator to make sure it moves forward.