Leinster House use of CCTV will be reviewed due to spying fears

Seanad Cathaoirleach Jerry Buttimer said the Oireachtas Commission should investigate concerns raised over the Chinese-made security cameras. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

A “best practice” review of CCTV cameras at Leinster House will be undertaken following concerns being raised that they are being used to spy on behalf of China.

The Office of Public Works (OPW), which has responsibility for public buildings including the Leinster House complex, has said that in light of recent developments regarding CCTV, it is to review its policies.

The OPW said it would “implement any recommendations as necessary” after a review “in collaboration with industry experts”.

“The OPW regularly consults with industry experts, including An Garda Síochána, with regard to these systems and installations,” it said.

The comments come as Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Jerry Buttimer, said the Oireachtas Commission, which oversees the day-to-day running of Leinster House, should investigate concerns raised over Chinese-made security cameras on the campus. Mr Buttimer said that security in the building is “of huge importance and one we take seriously”.

“Anything that may potentially compromise this must be investigated,” he said. “CCTV cameras are inside Oireachtas buildings to protect staff and members. I think we must reflect on the issues raised regarding CCTV camera use within Leinster House at future meetings of the Oireachtas Commission.”

Over the weekend, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) called for a suspension of their use pending a review. This is because the European Parliament, Denmark, the UK, the US, and Australia have banned or removed Hikvision cameras from their parliaments.

Green TD Patrick Costello has written to Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl asking him to review the use of Chinese-owned security cameras in Leinster House.

Hikvision is part-owned by the Chinese state and there have been allegations of links to the Chinese military too.

ICCL executive director Liam Herrick said there are no suggestions that the “cameras themselves are storing information, but they are connected to servers which can go on to communicate the information”.

“We have a difficulty here about surveillance technology more generally,” said Mr Herrick. 

“Companies are very aggressively selling this technology to public and private sector bodies, and very often the people that are involved in the procurement process are not sensitive to national security or human rights questions, and may indeed in good faith buy technology without understanding or considering what the implications might be.”

Responding to the controversy, Hikvision said that it is “categorically false to represent Hikvision as a threat to national security” and that “no respected technical institution or assessment has come to this conclusion”.

“As a manufacturer, Hikvision does not store end users video data, does not offer cloud storage in the Republic of Ireland and therefore cannot transmit data from end users to third parties,” said a statement.