James Lawless
Ceist:39. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Justice the status of plans to roll out facial recognition technology for use in policing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35658/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 5 July 2022
Ceisteanna (39)
Freagraí scríofa
The Government approved the publication of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill, previously called the Digital Recordings Bill, on 21 June. The text of the Bill will be available shortly. This important Bill makes provision for Garda powers to use modern digital technology including body worn cameras, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and CCTV.
I also received Government approval to introduce amendments to the Bill at committee stage providing for the use of facial recognition technology. The amendments will set out how the new provisions will operate in practice. The exact parameters of these amendments have not been decided on and officials from my Department are consulting with relevant stakeholders and looking at international best practice.
I would like to assure the Deputy that safeguards will be built into the legislation and there will be full compliance with GDPR and the Data Protection Act of 2018. These safeguards will include a full human rights and data protection impact assessment.
It is my intention to return to Government for approval of any proposed amendments in the autumn.