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No progress on town centre CCTV scheme

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By Sean Moriarty

Plans to provide CCTV cameras for Killarney Town centre and Ballyspillane remain on the long-finger despite partial funding being released by the Department of Justice and Equality.

There have been calls for CCTV in the wider Killarney area since 2018 but the plan has yet to be progressed.

It is hoped that three separate schemes, one each in the inner town centre, outer town centre and Ballyspillane will come on stream once all of the formalities are completed.

These include the appointment of an independent security expert to review the scheme's designs and clarification from the Data Protection Office on how the scheme may be implemented.

The initial cost of the scheme was priced at €160,000 and the recent grant announcement covers €47,877 of this cost.

“There have been significant changes in the requirements of Data Protection elements of such schemes in recent years, following the introduction of the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and recommendations arising from the Audits of CCTV in Local Authorities and An Garda Síochána,” a Council official explained. “In addition, the technology to be utilised has also changed in the period and it will be useful to assess the technological advances to provide for the best specifications for the project.”

Another stumbling block centres on who is responsible for the management of the data captured by CCTV cameras.

There are continuing discussions between the Gardaí nationally and the Local Authority sector about whether Gardaíwill become Joint Data Controllers for Community CCTV schemes.

“This will also be an important development as it will provide Gardaí with direct operational access to the new systems,” added the official.

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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