I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter. I want to bring it down to what matters for north Dublin. The strategy is listed in the programme for Government. It sits at the centre of the road safety plan. It is fundamental and will protect lives. It is about the drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and families who have lost loved ones in the constituency I represent and nationally. In recent months, Dublin Bay North has seen arson attack after arson attack. I would love for some of the CCTV footage to be used by Dublin City Council and gardaí to protect the amenities that have been attacked. We fought for them. I would also welcome CCTV cameras outside schools. They help to protect children, but it is also about protecting the amenities for children. Two nights ago, a playground was attacked. Why are people attacking the communities? It makes no sense. In Coolock, we fought for a camera to be installed. In the Howth area, we got one installed. This is all in the past 12 months. In St. Anne’s Park, public toilets were put in for young girls. Within two days, they were burnt down. That is inexcusable. CCTV, in conjunction with the national strategy, will be of benefit. When I have written about having cameras installed around clothes banks or areas where there is heavy traffic and risk to pedestrians, the GDPR is used as an excuse. I emailed about this in relation to CCTV and the Garda and received a reply to say that the GDPR does not prohibit the use of CCTV. I welcome the work that is being done. My father was a traffic policeman for 35 years. I spoke to him about how it will help. He does respect that. Gardaí need to be given the proper resources to correctly implement it. That is why it matters and gives us the framework for enforcement by gardaí in the context of people who run red lights, the misuse of bus lanes and, crucially, public safety. Nobody wants a surveillance state. We do not want a Big Brother Ireland, but we do want to stop children’s playgrounds in north Dublin being burnt down. We want to stop vans driving to Dollymount beach - a nature reserve - at 2 a.m. and dumping refuse. We also want to protect drivers and stop people recklessly driving on the roads while they are on their phones. I do welcome that. We deserve better safety and better deterrence. I welcome the moves in that regard. I will continue to push constructively and to work with the Minister of State.

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