Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The intention behind this particular part of the Bill is to rectify issues that have arisen whereby communities have not been able to roll out CCTV in recent years because of GDPR concerns that were raised by the Data Protection Commissioner a number of years ago now. This clarifies how they can be rolled out and used, and where they can be used. It is very much about the local authority working with the gardaí. Obviously, every local authority has public representatives and has a very public forum, so any decisions that are taken are taken by the public representatives working with the local authority on behalf of the community. I think people generally see the use of CCTV as something positive that enables us to gather evidence where crimes have been committed and to deter crimes from happening where people know that there is CCTV in place. Again, there will be very strict codes of conduct to make sure that CCTV is monitored and used effectively and in the right way, so that there is no misuse of it.

In terms of the specific amendments, the current technical specifications for community CCTV schemes are already available on the gov.iewebsite. That is something that can be looked at. It would be a matter for the Commissioner to specify whether or not the technical and software specifications are included in the application process. As I have mentioned, further details on the requirements for community CCTV schemes will be set out in the codes of practice. I know that a lot is going into the codes of practice, but it is important that that is set out separately. Members should be aware that where there are amendments to a community CCTV scheme under an authorisation - for example, if additional cameras are included, if the technology or the camera results in significant additional processing or if the coverage of the CCTV is altered, if there are any changes at all - there is a requirement to notify the Garda Commissioner and to provide a data impact assessment to him or her. It will also be an offence to fail to notify the Garda Commissioner of the amendments specified in section 29(1), and in the case that a new authorisation is required, to fail to comply with the requirements of section 29(5). The Data Protection Act and any provisions relevant to the use of CCTV apply in this regard. The focus has been on trying to rectify a problem that has been there from the outset. It is absolutely the case that CCTV schemes will have to be used appropriately. There will be partnership between the Garda and the local authorities, and local representatives will be very clearly working with the authority to ensure that they are used effectively too.