Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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102. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of grant applications received under the community based CCTV scheme since its launch in 2017; the number of applications approved; the value of those allocations; the obstacles encountered in the rollout which may militate against take-up of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16927/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, my Department has launched a Community-based CCTV grant-aid scheme to assist groups in the establishment of community-based CCTV systems in their local areas.

There has been an increasing level of enquiries relating to the scheme. Some 11 applications have been received to date and I understand that a number of other applications are currently being readied for submission.

4 applications under the scheme have been approved to date, with approved funding totalling almost €120,000. A further 4 applications are under active consideration. The remaining 3 applications received to date have been returned to the applicants concerned, to enable them to provide the information necessary to qualify for grant-aid.

Under the scheme, eligible community groups can apply for grant-aid of up to 60% of the total capital cost of a proposed CCTV system, up to a maximum grant of €40,000. Successful applicants receive an up-front payment of 50% of approved funding upon approval of the grant, with the balance to be paid when the CCTV system is fully operational.

It is worth pointing out that the scheme is modelled closely on the previous grant-aid scheme operated by Pobal on behalf of my Department between 2005 and 2013, under which some 45 Community-based CCTV systems were established operating in a mix of urban and rural environments.

To make take-up of the scheme as easy as possible, both the application process and documentation were updated and streamlined to make them more user-friendly. Support and guidance is also available to interested groups from my Department.

Further, and again in the interests of avoiding any obstacles, in developing the documentation, my Department consulted extensively with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner along with the Office of the Attorney General, An Garda Síochána, Pobal and the Local Government Management Association.

Full details of the grant aid package including guidelines, application forms, code of practice and other relevant documentation are all available to download from my Department's website - www.justice.ie.

I am very conscious of the value that communities, especially rural communities, place on CCTV as a means of deterring crime and assisting in the detection of offenders and I would encourage interested groups to avail of the scheme.