Closed-Circuit Television Systems
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-20
============================================================

Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

Like the Senator, I want to see CCTV rolled out throughout the country. It provides a great source of protection to members of the public. It is also a very helpful tool for An Garda Síochána in ensuring that it can police an area thoroughly and professionally.
As the Senator knows, community safety is a top priority for me, the Department and the Government. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their communities. CCTV in public places has a role in giving people a greater sense of security. It is also effective in deterring criminal activity and antisocial behaviour and assisting with the investigation of crime. I am therefore fully aware why the people of Carrickmacross want to see the CCTV system up and running. The consideration and operation of community CCTV by local authorities is a matter, ultimately, for the local authority concerned. As Minister, I have no role in the operations of the local authorities, and updates on the roll-out of individual community CCTV schemes should be sought from the relevant local authority. I am pleased to inform the Senator that Monaghan is among the local authorities to have rolled out community CCTV schemes in conjunction with the Garda and with funding from my Department. Other local authorities have done so as well.
The Garda national community engagement bureau offers support and assistance in relation to all applications and processes. Each application is evaluated on the principles of necessity, proportionality and legality. This ensures that every application receives the necessary and robust review to ensure that the CCTV application will withstand a human rights and privacy screening test. All applications must be presented to the CCTV advisory committee and the need for each camera justified.
The recording devices Act provides for a new regime for the authorisation and operation of CCTV schemes. Part 5 of that Act, when commenced, will introduce these new arrangements. Part 8 stipulates the requirement for the Garda Commissioner to draft a new code of practice. The aim of the code of practice is to provide further detail on the general operation of public CCTV. It also aims to ensure that public CCTV is used only for policing purposes and the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of criminal offences. The Garda launched a public consultation for a draft code of practice on public CCTV on 27 January 2026.
In addition to seeking the views of the public, the Commissioner, as required by the Act, formally sought input from me, the Policing and Community Safety Authority, Fiosrú, the Data Protection Commission and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. This consultation was also extended to the Local Government Management Agency. The public and statutory consultations are now completed and the code is finalised. The code will not commence until after the enactment of the recording devices Bill 2025, which will amend the transitional arrangements for existing CCTV applications submitted but not yet approved under the existing regime. Upon enactment of the Bill, the Garda will forward the code of practice to me for formal commencement.
I am conscious that the Senator is particularly concerned about the scheme in Carrickmacross, when it will commence and when it will be available. I cannot give him a specific answer in respect of that but, certainly, engagement with the local authority there and the Garda is extremely important. I am happy to engage with the Senator in respect of that to ensure that the system can operate to the maximum effect possible in the near future. I know that he is tirelessly raising this issue of getting the CCTV scheme up and running in Carrickmacross. That is clearly something the people of the town want to see. It is of huge benefit, as I said, not just to the Garda but also the local community. It provides them with a greater sense of safety if people who come in with bad intentions know that they will be recorded if they are up to criminal activity in the area.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-20