Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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131. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when she expects that the provisions of the Garda Síochána Recording Devices Act 2023 will be fully implemented. [10877/24]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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132. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when An Garda Síochána will become responsible for the granting of authorisation to install and operate CCTV. [10878/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together.

Community safety is a top priority for my Department and everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Community CCTV plays a vital role in achieving this goal.

As the Deputy may be aware, since 2017 my Department has administered a grant-aid scheme supporting groups wishing to establish a community-based CCTV system in their area.

The CCTV grant scheme was extended in 2019 to cover not only new CCTV systems, but to also provide funding for the extension or upgrade of existing CCTV systems which are incomplete or obsolete. Applicants may now also seek a once-off grant of up to €5,000 for minor maintenance costs.

Grants of over €950,000 have been approved to date for 36 Community CCTV schemes. A further €1 million in funding has been made available towards the development of community-based CCTV schemes in 2024. Applications for funding are now open and can be made directly by the relevant Local Authorities.

This level of funding underlines my commitment to working with communities to ensure everyone feels safe.

The legal framework which provides for the operation of community CCTV requires that any proposed scheme must:

• be approved by the local Joint Policing Committee,
• have a data protection impact assessment prepared,
• have the prior support of the relevant local authority, which must act as a joint data controller with An Garda Síochána and a joint data controller agreement must be put in place, and
• have the authorisation of the Garda Commissioner.

In tandem with this, the Act also provides for Garda use of Body Worn Cameras (BWC), CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). The Act is to be commenced in stages. As part of Budget 2024's unprecedented allocation to the Garda Vote, €155 million has been allocated for digital capital investment and IT in the Garda organisation.

A project to run a Proof of Concept of BWCs is currently underway within An Garda Síochána, with cameras to begin rolling out to a small number of test locations in Dublin in Q2. This Proof of Concept will provide learnings for the next stage of the project, which is the national procurement and roll-out of body worn cameras.

The Parts of the Recording Devices Act that are necessary for the deployment of BWCs will be commenced first, prior to their introduction. Other parts of the Act will be commenced once the codes of practice for those parts are fully drafted in line with part 8 of the Act.

It is envisaged that the Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs), which will be established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 to replace Joint Policing Committees, will be the appropriate body to request community CCTV schemes in the future. Local residents, Local Authority staff, Councillors and members of An Garda Síochána will all be represented on the Partnerships, and will be best-placed to know how CCTV can be appropriately utilised in their area.