Closed-Circuit Television Systems

Tuesday, 30 May 2023

Questions (137)

Matt Carthy

Question:

137. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications further to Parliamentary Question No. 5 of 19 March 2023, if the Local Government Management Agency has yet submitted 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; when he expects to receive these draft codes; the timeframe in which local authorities can commence the installation of CCTV cameras in the vicinity of bottle banks and other waste collection locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25668/23]

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Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications

The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) are currently working on the preparation of the draft Codes of Practice and Data Protection Impact Assessments. Following assessment and approval by me approval, the Codes of Practice must then be laid before both Houses of Oireachtas by the LGMA and published on a website maintained by or on behalf of myself as Minister or the Government. Local authorities will only be in a position to initiate litter and waste enforcement measures involving the GDPR compliant use of technologies such as CCTV when that process is complete.

When initiating CCTV schemes, local authorities will also be required to prepare a site management plan in respect of each individual scheme setting out the proposed arrangements for the monitoring, recording and disclosing of the images produced and for preserving the recordings, within the meanings assigned under the Data Protection Act 2018. In addition, the Chief Executive Officer of the relevant local authority will be required to sign off that they are satisfied that any proposed scheme is proportionate to the enforcement needs identified at the proposed site, meets the relevant data protection requirements, and can only be accessed by persons of good character in direct employment with the local authorities concerned or, where relevant, An Garda Síochána.