ICCL writes to OPW and Oireachtas seeking details of CCTV review

Maurice Buckley
Chairman, Office of Public Works

Cc:

Peter Finnegan, Secretary General, Houses of the Oireachtas Commission
Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan
John Callinan, Secretary General Department of the Taoiseach, Chair National Security Committee
Leo Varadkar TD                         Regional Technical Group & Aontú       
Micheál Martin TD                     Rural Technical Group
Mary Lou McDonald TD            Independent Technical Group  
Eamon Ryan TD                          Solidarity/People Before Profit
Ivana Bacik TD                            Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD, Ceann Comhairle, Dáil Éireann
Catherine Murphy TD                Senator Jerry Buttimer, Cathaoirleach, Seanad Éireann
Roisin Shortall TD
Data Protection Commission
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

14 February 2023

Media reports of review by OPW

Dear Mr Buckley,

1. Further to our letter[1] to the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Office of Public Works (OPW) on 10 February 2023, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) notes media reports from 13 February 2023 that the OPW intends to conduct a ‘review of best practice’ regarding CCTV systems.[2]
   
   
2. ICCL acknowledges the swift initiation of this review by the OPW. However, we have no information about the details of this review and many outstanding issues must be addressed.

Publish information on current practice

3. It may be useful to consider ‘best practice’ in the procurement, installation and operation of CCTV systems. But it is essential to first examine and publish details of the current practice of the OPW. There is a heightened importance to review the CCTV systems currently in operation at the Houses of the Oireachtas, and specifically those made by Hikvision. The following questions must be answered:
   
   a. How many Hikvision CCTV cameras procured by the OPW are in use at the Houses of the Oireachtas? When were they installed?
   
   b. What is the duration of these contracts?
   
   c. Was the procurement of Hikvision cameras part of a tendering process, and what was the nature of that tendering process?
   
   
4. The OPW must examine and publish the current processes and procedures related to CCTV systems implemented by the OPW and/or the House of the Oireachtas. Specifically,
   
   a. The impact on people’s data protection rights arising from the procurement, installation and operation of Hikvision CCTV camera systems;
   
   b. The national security risks with regards to the installation and operation of Hikvision CCTV camera systems; and
   
   c. The human rights implications of contracting with a company such as Hikvision that has been connected with serious human rights violations, as has been set out in our letter of 10 February 2023.

Publish details of the best practice review

5. It is essential that the OPW makes public the intended scope and remit of the reported review and articulate publicly:
   
   a. The review’s Terms of Reference;
   
   b. The identity of the experts who will conduct the review;
   
   c. The bodies who will be consulted as part of this review. The Data Protection Commission, the National Security Committee and human rights experts such as the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission should be consulted.
   
   d. The duration and the expected time of the publication of the review.
   
   
6. Given the serious concerns regarding Hikvision, will the OPW and the Houses of Oireachtas now remove Hikvision cameras pending the outcome of this review?
   
   
7. Finally, can the OPW now provide information about all public buildings that use Hikvision and/or Dahua CCTV cameras?

Sincerely,