Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has been campaigning along with Kerry County Council for a CCTV system to be provided in Killarney town for over 20 years. Promises have been made and repeated time and time again. Promises were made that camera systems would be installed at several locations in the town centre and in key areas on the outskirts. The matter has topped the agenda of both the council and the chamber on a constant basis. Apparently, funding had been provided yet no progress has been made. I wish to acknowledge the tireless work of the local councillors in Killarney. The whole issue seems to have hit a roadblock. While there is lingering hope, there is no great confidence in the town that CCTV will be delivered until data protection issues are addressed. There has been considerable engagement between all stakeholders regarding CCTV cameras and, in particular, the preparation of a data protection impact assessment for the Killarney scheme. The final approval of that assessment is still awaited and no commencement date, project timeline or installation schedule has been provided. I plead with the Tánaiste to intervene and, maybe, speak to the relevant authorities, as well as An Garda Síochána and Kerry County Council.

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this important matter for Killarney. One can see the compelling case for a need for this in such a vibrant and busy town. CCTV can play an important role in assisting the Garda and acting as a deterrent to crime. I am going from my memory but I thought the policing Act in this House brought in new kinds of structures to try to help to ensure clarity around how CCTV could be rolled out in areas where An Garda Síochána is seeking it. On foot of the Deputy raising it today, I will ask the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, to directly engage with the Deputy, the local authority and the chamber to see whether we can make progress on this.