Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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10. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if local authorities have a legal basis to use CCTV under the waste management and-or litter pollution Acts as a tool in combatting the scourge of illegal dumping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1978/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The use of CCTV and other audio-visual recording (AVR) equipment to assist waste and litter enforcement efforts is primarily an operational matter for local authorities. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has indicated that it is satisfied that Section 14 of the Waste Management Act 1996 provides a suitable legal basis for the use of such technology in specific circumstances. However, the DPC raised a number of procedural concerns depending on the specific circumstances, the equipment employed and how the equipment is used. As a result, the County & City Management Association (CCMA) has established a Working Group to liaise with the DPC on these concerns and to examine the issues raised.

I have set out a commitment in the Government's Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, to ensure that all waste enforcement legislation will be “data proofed” so that all available and emerging technologies can be fully utilised in a manner which is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant.

My Department will continue to liaise with the local authority sector, including the recently established CCMA Working Group and the DPC, to ensure that the appropriate legislative underpinning is in place to allow for the use of AVR equipment to support enforcement efforts in a manner which is both effective and GDPR compliant.