CCTV cameras in Limerick
Senator Collins raises the need for CCTV cameras in Limerick city while discussing solidarity with women facing domestic violence; the Cathaoirleach welcomes visiting schoolchildren.
It was great to see so many Members standing outside Leinster House today for "Walk Out for Women", where we showed solidarity with women who are subject to domestic violence and coercion. This year to date, ten women have been killed in Ireland. We have to think in real terms. That is ten families and friends who have had to bury somebody because they were unsafe in their own homes. It was great to see so many men and women standing out to show our solidarity with that and to stand up for those women.
On another note, but staying on safety, I want to bring up CCTV cameras in Limerick city and county. The CCTV system was run under the regeneration programme and costs €800,000 a year to fund. The regeneration programme is declining every year. There was 25% taken off last year, and again this year. There was a shortfall last year of €600,000. The mayor of Limerick, Mr. John Moran, funded that from his own pot of money, which should not have had to be allocated to it because it used to come from regeneration funding. Limerick Chamber contacted, first, the Department of housing and local government, which it assumed CCTV funding fell under. The Department passed them to the Department of justice, which passed them back to the Department of housing and local government. It is kind of up in the air as to who is supposed to fund this, but it is €800,000 in the grand scheme of things to run CCTV footage for a city and county for an entire year. In the grand scheme of what is spent in this country, it is pennies, really, when you think about it, to have that safety for not only the residents, but for the business owners and for that additional support for An Garda Síochána when something happens that it has those CCTV cameras to look back on. It is something that needs to be brought up to the Minister for justice, whom, I assume, this falls under. I would appreciate it if the Acting Leader could get on to the Minister and ask him to go back to Limerick Chamber of Commerce, have a conversation and see what can be done because this is a major city and county that does not have that back-up of CCTV footage.
