Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27 ============================================================ Joanne Collins (SF), Agricultural Panel I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. This is very important and far-reaching legislation that will deserve careful scrutiny because it deals with the balance between public safety, effective policing and the protection of civil liberties and privacy rights. Sinn Féin believes that facial recognition technology and other biometric technologies can have a very rewarding and positive role in assisting An Garda Síochána, particularly in the investigation of serious crime, matters relating to the security of the State and locating missing persons. Gardaí today are dealing with an enormous volume of CCTV footage, digital evidence and recorded material. Technology can help process that evidence more effectively and potentially speed up investigations, identify subjects, locate vulnerable people and, ultimately, save lives. We recognise those potential benefits. We also recognise that these technologies can carry very significant risk if they are introduced without strong safeguards, proper oversight and clear legal limits. It is not an ordinary technology. The Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council stated in June 2024 that facial recognition technology when used in a lawful enforcement context is a high-risk technology given the potential consequences of its use for individuals. The council went further and advised against procuring and deploying such technology until statutory independent evaluations are conducted under real-world conditions relevant to Irish law enforcement. The core concern here is that we do not drift into a surveillance society where people's movements, behaviours and identities can be tracked in ways that undermine fundamental rights and freedoms. The use of biometric analysis must be necessary, proportionate and strictly limited to serious and clearly defined purposes, which the Minister has outlined in his opening statement. There are some welcome provisions within this Bill. The fact that the technology can only be used retrospectively and not in real time is important. The fact that it is confined to arrestable offences, State security matters and missing person investigations is also very important. Likewise, requirements for a code of practice, human rights assessment and engagement with bodies such as the Data Protection Commission and Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission are very positive steps. However, there remain serious questions that need to be answered. Sinn Féin believes there must be far stronger safeguards written directly into legislation, rather than relying too heavily on future codes of practice. Codes of practice are important, but the Oireachtas must have the opportunity to scrutinise and debate the key protections in primary legislation. There must be independent oversight and a regular review of how the technology operates in practice. Reviews cannot simply examine operational effectiveness. They must also examine the accuracy rates, potential for discrimination or profiling and the impact on the right to privacy and human rights more broadly. Any wider roll-out across the State should only occur following a tightly controlled pilot phase with independent evaluation. We need evidence that the technology works effectively in Irish policing conditions and that it can do so without causing disproportionate harm. We also cannot ignore the lessons of the past. Unfortunately, there have been incidents where Garda systems have been misused. We know a number of gardaí face disciplinary action for misuse of the PULSE system, including the shocking case of a former garda who unlawfully disclosed personal data related to colleagues and members of the public. Those incidents involved only a small minority but they underline an important point, namely, that whenever the State grants additional surveillance or data powers robust safeguards, accountability and oversight are absolutely essential. At the same time, we must be honest about the wider challenges facing policing in the State. Technology is not a substitute for properly resourced community policing. The biggest challenge facing An Garda Síochána today is the recruitment and retention crisis. There are simply too few community and roads policing gardaí, too few detectives and far too much reliance on overtime to carry out routine policing duties. Sinn Féin has set out comprehensive proposals to tackle this crisis. We have proposed increasing the garda training allowance, the equivalent of the minimum wage, increasing the intake capacity in Templemore, introducing incentives for former members to return to policing, improving pay progressions, recognising long service and increasing the mandatory retirement age to 65. Those measures are essential because safe communities are built, first and foremost, through visible policing, strong community relationships and properly staffed Garda stations, not solely through new technologies. Technology can support policing but it cannot replace trust, experience and human judgment. As the Bill progresses through the Houses, Sinn Féin will engage constructively and responsibly. We believe there is a legitimate role for these technologies, but only where there are strong safeguards, democratic accountability, independent oversight and full protection of civil liberties. The public must have confidence that any use of biometric analysis is lawful, proportionate and necessary and that the rights of ordinary citizens are not sacrificed in the process. That is the balance we must achieve and it is the standard against which the Bill must ultimately be judged. --- 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/2026-05-27/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-27