Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire ar ais arís chuig an Seanad. The Minister is very welcome back to the Seanad. I thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to take this Commencement here this morning. His presence is always very much appreciated.

As the Minister well knows, a CCTV scheme offers significant benefits for communities, homes and businesses by deterring crime and improving overall safety. The Act is a strong deterrent to potential offenders. It assists authorities in identifying suspects and resolving disputes. Visible cameras discourage vandalism, antisocial behaviour and trespassing, creating a safer overall environment for our neighbourhoods.

As the Minister knows, the people of Carrickmacross have been waiting for some time on their CCTV scheme but, thankfully, things are now on the move. I thank the Minister for his assistance in pushing this along since he came into office a short time ago. He and I spoke about this particular subject on a number of occasions. The scheme in Carrickmacross consists of 17 cameras, which are being installed in 14 strategic locations throughout the town. The locations of these cameras have been identified by the Garda and three of them will have dual locations, which will be of assistance in relation to comprehensive coverage. Signage is being displayed throughout the town at the moment to ensure the public will be well aware of where these cameras are located.

The people of Carrickmacross have been waiting for some time for these CCTV cameras. I acknowledge the Minister's input in trying to push this particular scheme on. We have had one in Monaghan town for the past year or two. It has proven to be hugely successful in that it gives people great confidence as they go about their daily business, be it during daylight hours or in darkness, to know that there is someone looking out for them, if I can put it that way. The people of Carrickmacross are asking when they can expect their scheme to go live. I hope the Minister might be able to give us a date as to when this big switch-on will take place.

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.

I thank the Minister for his response. I again thank him sincerely for his input in trying to progress this scheme. As I said at the outset, the people of Carrickmacross have been waiting for a long time. From my experience of the CCTV system, one of the pieces of feedback and the learnings that have come back from it is the frustration by all concerned with the length of time it takes to get from the initial application to approval status. There seems to be an awful lot of fences and hurdles to jump before you get the green light. Thankfully, the people of Carrickmacross have jumped all those hurdles now. I thank the local gardaí, the local authority and the local authority members for all their work in progressing this scheme. We look forward to it going live, so to speak, in the coming weeks.

As the Senator identified, the local authority plays a vital role in respect of this in its collaboration with the Garda, but also my Department does have funding available. We provide grants of up to €40,000 for capital expenditure and up to €5,000 for maintenance. I am informed, and the Senator will be very pleased to hear, that grants worth €45,000 have already been awarded to Monaghan under this scheme. That is something we will just need to continue to roll out. Everyone, as I said, has the right to feel safe. The scheme was extended not only to cover new CCTV schemes but also to provide funding for the extension or upgrade of existing CCTV systems which are incomplete or obsolete. Monaghan, as I said, got €45,000, but in total grants of over €968,000 have been approved to date for 36 community CCTV schemes. That is something I want to see continue.

Senator Gallagher must be the luckiest Senator around.

Why is that?

His Commencement matters get drawn every week. I will have to watch the lotto numbers he picks as well.