Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 268: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of licences which have been issued by the Private Security Authority per month to contractors installing intruder alarms since the mandatory licensing was introduced on 1 August 2006; and the number of licences currently valid. [28647/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Private Security Authority (the Authority) commenced licensing the intruder alarm installer sector in November 2005. As the Deputy may be aware the "critical date" for licensing in the intruder alarm installer sector was 1st August 2006. Since this date it has been an offence for unlicensed contractors to provide a service in this sector.

Section 52 of the Private Security Services Act 2004 provides that an applicant whose application is submitted to the Authority by the critical date may continue trading pending the Authority's determination on the application. The Authority received the majority of intruder alarm installer applications in the week leading up to the critical date. The number of contractor licences issued to intruder alarm installers per month to date is as follows:

The Deputy may wish to note that it takes approximately 6 weeks for the Authority to process an application once the applicant has met all the licensing requirements.