Dee Ryan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for coming to the House to take this question on the urgent matter of continued and ongoing funding for CCTV cameras in Limerick. The Minister's presence signifies his appreciation of the seriousness of the matter and his commitment to policing and security in Limerick. Before I get to my question, I thank him and acknowledge the work he has done on the criminal law Bill, which he brought forward just before the recess and which, once it has completed its journey through the Houses and been enacted, will do a huge amount in the context of providing protection from domestic violence, gender-based violence and violence against children. As a mother of daughters and as a woman, I thank the Minister for that. I acknowledge his work in this regard. We look forward to debating the Bill in this House.

This matter relates to a significant safety and policing matter in Limerick. I refer to our 24-7 CCTV monitoring service, which is at risk due to the phased winding down of Government regeneration funding. This service is operated by Moyross Community Enterprise Centre in partnership with Limerick City and County Council and An Garda locally in Limerick. It is central to keeping our communities safe. It supports Garda operations and deters crime. Where it does not deter crime, it helps those involved to detect it and pursue prosecutions. As a result, it is crucial. It is deeply concerning for all Oireachtas Members across Limerick that staff at the monitoring centre have been issued with protective notice because of the uncertainty about ongoing funding.

As the Minister knows, Limerick faces unique challenges. It has some of the most deprived communities in the country. The two most deprived parts of the country are in Limerick city. When the Minister visited Limerick earlier this year, he and I met with the representatives from the prison, gardaí, people from a domestic violence refuge and those who provide family supports for prisoners. He was briefed at first hand on many of the issues we are contending with. Poverty and extreme deprivation have serious knock-on effects across society. They impact on health, life expectancy, school attendance, employment prospects and mental well-being. They lead to addiction and leave vulnerable people and children open to exploitation by gangs. Communities in such circumstances need more rather than less Garda support.

This year alone, we have had over 17 shooting incidents in Limerick. We have also had approximately 11 explosive incidents in Limerick. Gangland feuds are simmering in Limerick. In that context, our Garda numbers and supports, including the CCTV unit, have to be strengthened rather than diminished. The loss of this CCTV service will have a serious impact on public safety in Limerick. Since becoming a public representative, I have consistently pressed for greater investment in Garda resources and supports in Limerick, including more CCTV cameras as an essential tool for gardaí and an effective deterrent against crime. I have made representations to the local authority for further cameras on the greenway in Castletroy and in particular areas I am familiar with, such as the graveyard in Scanlon Park in Castleconnell. Both of those locations are known for antisocial behaviour. Drug dealing and other criminal activity takes place at the graveyard in question. I have spoken with local gardaí about these issues. They are supportive of further CCTV cameras being installed.

I thank the Minister for being present and for the direct approach he is taking on this issue. I look forward to his update.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Ryan for raising this important matter. I am fully aware of her interest in CCTV cameras in Limerick. The matter is extremely important, as she stated.

One of the things I, as Minister for justice, am seeking to do is ensure that people feel safe in their communities, whether that is in Limerick or in any other part of the country. It is unquestionably the case that where people have CCTV cameras, they feel a greater sense of security. It is unquestionably the case that the presence of cameras deters criminal activity and antisocial behaviour. I am well aware of the important role CCTV cameras play in trying to combat crime and antisocial behaviour. As the Senator is aware, there are a variety of CCTV cameras that operate throughout our communities, and not just in Limerick.An Garda Síochána has certain cameras that it puts in place and that it requires. They are of great assistance to it in combating crime. The particular type of CCTV camera the Senator referenced is one that was established under the regeneration programme in Limerick around ten years ago, which was part of a much broader initiative to improve the quality of life of local communities in Limerick. I note what the Senator said about the communities in Moyross and other areas, about how they are very dependent upon these CCTV cameras.

As the Senator will be aware, the day-to-day funding of those CCTV schemes has, for many years, come from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and is part of the regeneration projects in Limerick, with a significant contribution also being made, I have to say, by Limerick City and County Council. I understand the CCTV system concerned consists of approximately 240 cameras, which is a very significant number of cameras, and that operating costs for 2024 were over €800,000. As such, the infrastructure in place in Limerick is well outside the scope of the grants administered by my Department. The type of CCTV funding that is provided by the Department of justice is for community-based CCTV cameras and schemes that have got grants of up to €40,000 for capital expenditure and up to €5,000 for maintenance under the scheme.

I am fully aware that CCTV is important. It is very much going to be centrally part of the local community safety partnerships that have been established throughout the country. It is also the case that under the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023, the Garda Commissioner will have a significant role to play in the approval of CCTV schemes into the future.

I am aware that many public representatives in Limerick are concerned about the issue the Senator is highlighting here. For instance, I had a meeting earlier on today with the Mayor of Limerick, Mr. John Moran. I thank him for coming up. There was a meeting between Mayor Moran, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and me. I hope it will be possible for the CCTV scheme to continue to operate as it has done over the past decade. As I said, we had a very good meeting with Mayor Moran. He is fully aware and, I think, committed to ensuring that it stays there. I also agree with him that An Garda Síochána wants these cameras to remain, as they are of significant use to it.

All I will say to the Senator at this stage is I hope a solution will be found to ensure the ongoing funding. I cannot give her a commitment in respect of that yet but I know Mayor Moran is very much engaged in that issue. We had a meeting today and I would like to see a resolution agreed in respect of the matter.

Dee Ryan (Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. It is reassuring to hear that our first citizen and the first directly elected mayor in the country, Mayor Moran, has engaged directly with him and the Minister, Deputy Browne, on this matter. I wish the Minister and him well in their ongoing discussions and negotiations on this. I hope a temporary solution can be found for funding to prevent the protective notices having to be executed on this occasion and to ensure the service can be maintained. I look forward to engaging further with the Minister to ensure this vital tool for the Garda in Limerick is built into ongoing budgeting for future years in the Department of justice.

I note the Minister said that the local authority contributed significantly to it. I know the Minister might expect me to say this but, for €800,000, it sounds to me like a hell of a great return on investment for security and assistance in detecting and prosecuting crime in Limerick.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the importance of it. I certainly want to see it continue. With regard to what has happened with the funding, the funding had originally been provided, and is still being provided, by the Department of housing under the regeneration projects in Limerick. In fairness to the Minister, Deputy Browne, his Department indicated a number of years ago that it would be gradually reducing the moneys provided for the scheme, so it was flagged a number of years before now. As Minister for justice, I obviously want to try to ensure that the wishes of the Garda continue to operate. I know the Garda wants the cameras to continue and I know the Mayor of Limerick wants them to continue but, at present, I cannot identify a funding source within the Government that is available.We had a good meeting with Mayor Moran, however. The fact that he came to Dublin today for a meeting is indicative of how seriously he takes it, and the fact that I and the Minister, Deputy Browne, met him is indicative of how seriously we take it. I hope there will be a solution in the short term, and we can look at other matters in the longer term in due course.