Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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137. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 98 of 8 September 2022, if he will provide an update on the enactment process in relation to the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 regarding the use of CCTV by local authorities; when he expects this process to be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7378/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Sections 22 & 33 of the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 require that the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) prepare and submit to me in my role as Minister for approval, draft codes of practice for the purpose of setting standards for the operation of CCTV and other mobile recording devices in order to deter environmental pollution and to facilitate the prevention, detection, and prosecution of littering (Section 33) and illegal dumping (Section 22) offences.

In preparing these draft codes of practice the LGMA are first required to carry out Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) on potential data subjects prior to consulting with myself, in my role as Minister, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Minister for Justice, the Data Protection Commission and any other person or body with an interest in the operation of CCTV and/or other mobile recording devices for enforcement purposes.

The LGMA are currently working through this process, DPIAs have been prepared, the necessary consultation efforts have been initiated and Codes of Practice are being drafted. There is no set time frame for the completion of this work, but the Codes of Practice will be submitted for approval as soon as practicable. Once approved, it will enable local authorities to put in place both litter and waste enforcement measures involving the GDPR-compliant use of technologies such as CCTV.