Tony Kett (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Bill. I promise that I will say nothing about the fact that the Minister is once again in the Seanad. This Bill will set up a private security authority to supervise and monitor the industry. The main function of the authority is to operate a licensing system for the providers of the services. I hope this will improve standards and give confidence both to those involved in the industry and the public.

The security service is important in terms of what it gives to the economy. Its growth in recent years has been enormous.

It behoves us to look at some form of regulation for the future. As the Minister said, society has in recent times undoubtedly become much more security conscious. One can now go nowhere without some form of security system looking over one's shoulder, whether while filling up with petrol or going to the shops. The industry has recently broadened into a whole new range of services. As the Minister noted, because of the times in which we live, many of the security-related services previously undertaken by in-house staff must now be contracted out to professional security services. I read somewhere that the business now contributes some €250 million to €300 million to the Exchequer in any given year, a phenomenal sum.

There have been significant changes in the sector, including great development in sophisticated technologies such as modern surveillance systems and other monitoring equipment. As the Minister also said, such equipment, which can stick its nose anywhere, can be seriously abused if it falls into the wrong hands. It is right that we should now be setting standards and regulations at a time when the industry is progressing and modernising itself. In doing so we are giving confidence to those operating security services.

An integrated licensing system will also sort out the good from the bad. As the Minister said, there are cowboys operating in the industry, although most of those involved are good people doing a fine and important job. The licensing system will also safeguard people working in the private services companies. I know of a man working for such a company who fell victim to a very dangerous situation as a result of which he was traumatised. As he worked only part-time and was moonlighting, the company walked away from him. The new system will hopefully regulate in such areas.

There are more than 400 people in the security business, employing nearly 25,000 people. That it has not been regulated up to now is probably why we have seen some terrible deeds carried out. The poor old bouncer seems to be the butt of everyone's displeasure. On national television, we have seen by means of CCTV cameras where bouncers have used the fist in the first instance because they are not trained to do otherwise. We have seen a terrible cost arise from that in the recent past. Up to now, it seems that the meaner the bouncers look, the bigger, tougher and the more physical and verbal they are, the more likely they are to be employed. Some years ago, RTE screened a programme on bouncers which showed them in a very poor light.

The legislation brought to this House by the Minister in the past few months has had a common thread running through it. It has included the illicit trafficking at sea Bill, the joint investigation teams Bill, the public order Bill and the liquor licensing Bill. Such legislation has all had the public interest at its core. The common thread unfortunately relates to drink and drugs. Many of the Bills brought through the House by the Minister in recent times will, when they begin to take effect, have major benefits for society.

Being a doorman is not an easy job. The individual works in a very dangerous environment, faced with drunk and unruly people, perhaps someone trying to show off to a girlfriend, or whatever. The doorman must make a split-second decision, either to confront such people outside, or allow them in and then confront them.

That doormen or bouncers have not up to now been trained is reprehensible. They are dealing with dangerous situations without any training. Looking at section 8(2)(f) of the Bill, I wonder whether bouncers will have to undergo training in order to acquire a licence. The section states that "without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the authority may, and where required, shall, specify qualifications or any other requirement including requirement as to training". Training should form a serious element of all this, and should almost be mandatory. The report highlighted the need for a comprehensive standard training programme to be one of the criteria for obtaining a licence. Fire training should form part of that programme. In the past we have all seen the dreadful outcome of fires, the Stardust fire being the one that springs to mind. In that instance, not alone was the security element not intact, but security people had chained the doors at the request of management because people were gaining free entry. Fire training is essential for security staff, along with first aid skills and drug awareness training. We are told, and perhaps Senator Terry can also tell us, that discos are hives of drug use.