Yesterday, the staff at the CCTV operation centre in Moyross were issued with a protective notice because no funding commitment has been provided from the Department of justice, the Department that should be funding this project. Let us be clear: this is a vital service established in the aftermath of the Limerick feud in the early 2000s, a dark period of Limerick's history that none of us ever want to see repeated. These 300-plus cameras cover not just our regeneration areas but the whole of Limerick. Comments made to my colleague, Councillor Sharon Benson, by An Garda Síochána indicated that 100 additional gardaí would be needed should these cameras cease operating. Gardaí also said these cameras play a critical role in crime prevention and detection and making our communities feel safe. Closing this vital project would be completely counterproductive. I call on the Government to immediately commit to multi-annual funding to keep these cameras operational and protect the jobs of the staff who are now on a protective notice. Allowing 300-plus cameras to go dark on this Government's watch would be a serious failure of public safety for the people in Limerick by the Government.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. My thoughts, and I am sure the thoughts of everyone in the House, are with the workers and families affected by the protective notice. I am sure this is a very stressful and worrying time for people. We also want to see an expansion of CCTV in general in terms of public safety. I am not across the detail of it in the way Deputy Quinlivan is but, on foot of him raising the issue today, I will make contact with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and ask that he and An Garda Síochána look at this and come back to the Deputy directly.