Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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634. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the funding provided in each of the past three years and to date in 2015 in respect of CCTV monitoring anti-social activities in urban areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31218/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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635. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to provide funding for a CCTV programme at junctions off the national motorways in view of concerns that persons exit the motorways and carry out crime in rural areas (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31219/15]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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636. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to provide funding to An Garda Síochána for CCTV monitoring for key locations in urban areas where there is anti-social behaviour with a view to the detection of crime, preventing crime and acting as a deterrent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31220/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 634, 635 and 636 together.

CCTV systems installed for the purposes of crime prevention and as aids to policing in areas to which the general public routinely have access, such as town centres, fall into two distinct categories: Garda CCTV systems and community-based CCTV systems.

Garda CCTV systems are planned and implemented on the basis of the identified operational needs and priorities of An Garda Síochána. Accordingly, decisions in relation to the introduction or extension of such systems are a matter for the Garda Commissioner. The Garda authorities inform me that they keep the current Garda CCTV arrangements under ongoing review in the context of changing operational requirements. In this regard the most recent information I have from the Garda Commissioner is that there are no plans to extend existing Garda CCTV systems at present. The amount spent from within the Garda vote on Garda CCTV systems over the past three years is as follows:

2012 - €1.256m

2013 - €1.200m

2014 - €1.157m

2015 -€0.696m (as at end of August 2015)

As regards community-based CCTV, a scheme was launched in 2005 which provided financial assistance to qualifying local organisations towards meeting the capital costs associated with the establishment of a local community CCTV system. Two rounds of funding were advertised under that scheme, most recently in 2007. All of the funding provided under the previous two rounds has been fully allocated.

I am, however, very conscious of the value that communities place on CCTV and with this in mind I am giving consideration to having a review of the effectiveness of current community schemes carried out in conjunction with the Garda authorities. The outcome of this review will inform future decisions on the continuation of the scheme.