Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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372. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the Garda Síochána (digital recording) Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5691/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recommended that An Garda Síochána should deploy body worn cameras. In June 2019, the Government approved the drafting of a General Scheme of a Bill to provide a legal basis for the deployment and use of such cameras by An Garda Síochána.

The Bill will also provide for the extension of the circumstances in which Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) devices may be used by An Garda Síochána. My Department engaged extensively with An Garda Síochána, Garda oversight bodies and strategic partners during the preparation of the General Scheme, as well as the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

The General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021 was approved by the Government and published on 29 April 2021. The General Scheme was sent to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel for formal drafting, and drafting is continuing. The General Scheme was also submitted to the Oireachtas Committee on Justice for pre-legislative scrutiny. The Committee’s report was received in December 2021 and is currently being examined by my officials.

It is my intention to publish the Bill by the end of March 2022 and to complete its passage through the Oireachtas later this year.

I should point out that while this will not be an excessively long Bill, the issues that it addresses such as privacy rights and data protection, are complex. All use of recording devices under the Scheme is linked to Garda functions, namely the investigation, detection, prevention and prosecution of criminal offences, public order and public safety, and safeguarding the security of the State.

While Gardaí have extensive common law powers at their disposal when carrying out their functions, it is important to have in place a modern and robust statutory framework to set standards and procedures in relation to the use of recording devices and to provide appropriate oversight of the use of the powers, in particular where they could infringe on the privacy or data protection rights of citizens.

Digital recording technology for policing purposes continues to evolve. A number of safeguards will have to be built in to the legislation to ensure that any intrusions into a citizens private life are necessary and proportionate and are for justifiable policing purposes.