Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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197. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to bring in body cameras on Garda uniforms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40225/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the provision of equipment for An Garda Síochána and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.

I have been informed by the Garda authorities that a working group within An Garda Síochána is currently examining the options available on the market regarding body worn cameras, with a view to developing a business case in the event that it is decided to recommend the their general use by members of An Garda Síochána.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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198. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when the last technical update of Garda information technology services took place; his plans to upgrade the information technology services of An Garda Síochána to increase efficiency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40226/17]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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199. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that through a tech rehab, for example, the widespread distribution of smart phones for work, that the New Zealand police force experienced productivity gains of 30 minutes per shift; his views on whether An Garda Síochána could benefit from such a policy of modernisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40227/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 199 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions in relation to the provision and allocation of Garda equipment and resources are a matter for the Garda Commissioner and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.

The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for a Partnership Government recognises that Gardaí must have the modern technology and resources necessary to detect and investigate crimes, and to prevent loss and harm to citizens and their property on a 24/7 basis. Accordingly, the Garda Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016 to 2021 sets out a series of initiatives which will enable An Garda Síochána deploy the latest cutting edge technologies in the fight against crime.

In support of this plan, some €330 million, including €205 million under the Capital Plan, is being invested in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021. This major investment is unprecedented and will facilitate progress on important reforms arising from the Garda Inspectorate's report on Crime Investigation. Some key ICT projects which are being advanced in this regard are as follows:

- a new Investigations Management system which will support the management of activities completed as part of an investigation, maintain a full history of the chain of events in an investigation, manage information gathered, and decisions/actions taken;

- a new Property and Exhibits Management System which will be used to record all property and exhibits which come into Garda possession and manage them throughout their lifecycle within the organisation from scene to court;

- a new Enterprise Content Management System which will provide An Garda Síochána with a single enterprise content repository for all documentation and multimedia content created;

- in the area of Victims Services PULSE has been updated to include Individual Victim Assessment and Victim Engagement screens to record information about the victim themselves and any Garda interaction or engagement with the victim;

- a new e-Vetting system is now operational which provides online processing of applications for Garda vetting for persons working with children and vulnerable persons;

- a new Rosters and Duty Management System which will support the management of the new rosters in An Garda Síochána and to manage the deployment of human resources on a day to day and also on a strategic long term basisa new Anti-Money Laundering application will support Financial Intelligence Units to counter Terrorist Financing and Money Laundering;

- an updated Intrusion Prevention and Detection System will add an additional layer of security to An Garda Síochána’s security architecture by proactively identifying potential threats and having policies in place to act upon them.

An Garda Síochána is also, in collaboration with the Department of Justice and Equality, actively progressing a number of EU ICT Projects to improve police co-operation and increase border security within the EU Community. These include implementation of :

- the FIND solution to enable the Garda National Immigration Bureau to query the Interpol Stolen Lost Travel Document Database;

- implementation of PRUM which will deliver enhancements to the Automated Finger Printing System to step up cross-border cooperation in relation to terrorism, crime and illegal immigration;

- implementation of the Schengen Information System to enable the rapid dissemination of information pertaining to terrorist threats and other subversive and non-subversive crime types across members states of the European Union;

- implementation of ADEP (Automated Data Exchange Process) which will allow searching of other member states criminal records on name, address, date and place of birth, on a hit/no hit basis;

- implementation of PNR (Passenger Name Record) requirements which require air carriers to provide advance passenger data to Immigration authorities. This data can be used for risk analysis by various state agencies;

- implementation of API (Advanced Passenger Information) requirements which require air carriers to provide advance passenger data to Immigration authorities. This data can be used for risk analysis by various state agencies. API data is basic information that includes name, date of birth, gender, citizenship, and travel document data (e.g. passport number).

In addition, a project to enhance network access to rural Garda stations is being progressed and is well advanced.

Further, I understand that the Garda mobility strategy, which aims to ensure that Garda members have remote access to information and technology, is progressing. When fully implemented, access by members to real-time information on mobile devices, as well as enabling investigation teams to collect and share information digitally, will improve the effectiveness of the service provided to communities. Indeed, I am informed by the Garda authorities that the ACTIVE Mobility programme, to be delivered over the next 3 to 5 years, will result in frontline Gardaí having more connectivity to back office systems harnessing the power of mobile technology. I understand from Garda authorities that an initial pilot of the programme will take place in the Limerick Division commencing in Q4 2017.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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200. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has considered the establishment of a phone service and an online reporting system to allow persons to report crimes via a phone call or web portal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40228/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I have requested a report from the Garda authorities in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy, and I will contact her directly when this report is to hand.