Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also very much welcome the Bill.At its heart is an amendment to the principal Act to broaden the list of those who are regulated under that Act and to ensure that the category of enforcement guard will be included on that list. I very much welcome section 4, which is the amendment to section 26 of the principal Act. It is important that the PSA can take action with regard to officers of the private security companies operating in the sector. The integrity of the sector is enormously important.

Much has been said about the events that gave rise to the Bill. I want to talk a little bit about the people working in the private security sector, however. Obviously, we would have liked to have seen this Bill progressed a little sooner. We very much supported Deputy Ó Laoghaire's Bill when he brought it to the Dáil last year but we are glad that we have the Bill before us. This legislation in this area is as much about protecting the public as it is about those working in the sector. That is important to say.

Previous speakers referred to how none of us ever wants an eviction situation to have to play out. When it does, however, we need to know that there will never be a situation where untrained, uncontrolled, unregulated persons acting as mercenaries to defend the interests of private parties can ever happen again.

When we speak about the workers in the sector, it is important to recognise that their role is often downplayed or not fully appreciated. Senator Ward spoke about the privileged position or the privilege associated with their role in terms of guarding or protecting particular locations, group of peoples or whatever. When we look at the pay of these workers, however, the rate is €11.65 per hour. This will rise to €12.05 per hour in September. I should add that these workers had to wait three months more than they should have because there was an agreement between both the trade unions and the employers that their pay rise would happen in June. The Minister, in his wisdom, has decided to delay that until September. While 40 cent may not be an awful lot to some of us here, it is a lot to these workers. That pay increase in September is very important. This Bill is also important in terms of recognising that those involved are a regulated group of persons who are trained and who occupy a very important role in industry and society in general.

The events that gave rise to the need for this Bill are very clearly etched in my mind because I do not live very far from North Frederick Street in Dublin 1. I used to pass it on a daily basis on my way to work. I certainly vividly remember the Occupy movement. Indeed, I was outside many of the houses that were occupied. I remember the day when that eviction took place in September 2018 and the very frightening circumstances in which it occurred. There was a twin issue that day. There was the issue of those who obviously entered the building and moved to violently remove those occupying it but there was also the situation with regard to the manner in which An Garda Síochána policed the eviction.

While we have this Bill now to deal with the issue regarding the unregulated private security persons operating that day, there are still issues in terms of An Garda Síochána. It is important for me to say that I have communicated with An Garda Síochána locally on a number of occasions and I know it is making enormous efforts to try to get its planning and policing of enforcing court orders right. We had a situation on Berkeley Road in Dublin 7 last year, however, and in the Ilac Centre with Debenhams workers in recent months. It is, therefore, really important that how An Garda Síochána polices evictions is got right. The reality is that as our society and economy evolve in whatever shape or form over the coming months, more evictions will be coming down the track, unfortunately, with businesses closing and properties being taken over. We need to get the policing of that right.