Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 235: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of organisational licences and individual licences issued by the Private Security Authority in each of the years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; the revenue emanating from these licences, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8466/11]

Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 236: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of staff employed by the Private Security Authority; the number of these involved in investigation of licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8467/11]

Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 237: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of complaints received by the Private Security Authority in each of the years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8468/11]

Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 238: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of cases referred to the Garda by the Private Security Authority in 2009 and 2010; the number which went to prosecutions; the number which have failed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8469/11]

Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 239: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of cases the Private Security Authority has taken against persons or organisations for operating without a licence in the years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8470/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 235 to 239, inclusive, together.

The Private Security Authority (PSA), an independent body under the aegis of my Department, is responsible for the licensing and regulation of the Irish security industry. I have been informed by the Authority that since commencing licensing in 2006, the PSA has processed over 57,500 applications. As a result, there are currently over 730 contractors and over 27,000 individuals licensed to provide certain security services. The Authority has transformed the security industry in Ireland by improving standards, setting training requirements and ensuring that criminal record checking has been carried out for those working in the sector.

Two types of licences are issued by the Authority - one for contractors and one for individuals. The first table provides details of the number of contractor licences in each of the sectors currently licensed by the Authority. The number of contractors licensed is greater than the number of contractors mentioned above (730), as some contractors operate in more than one sector.

Table 1 Contractor Licences issued for each sector between 2007 and 2010

The first licences for individuals were issued by the Authority in 2008. Table 2 outlines the number of licences granted in this regard. As with contractor licences, some individuals will hold a licence for both sectors. Both contractor and individual licences are issued for a 2 year period.

Table 2 Individual Licences issued for each sector between 2008 and 2010

The revenues received by the Authority from licence fees for the years since 2007 are set out in the following table. Over the period 2007 - 2010 the Authority received €9.67 million in funding from the Exchequer while fee income amounted to €9.76 million.

Table 3 Total Licence fees received by the Authority between 2007 and 2010

The Authority has a staff of 34 headed by the Chief Executive Officer. The number of staff assigned to Enforcement Division is nine, of which four are full time Inspectors appointed under Section 14 of the Private Security Services Act 2004.

The Authority receives formal complaints made in accordance with Section 39 of the aforementioned Act and a large number of 'informal complaints'. The total number of formal complaints received by the Authority for the period in question is 41 and table 4 outlines the breakdown, per annum, of those received. The wearing of an Identity Badge by licensed individuals became mandatory on 1 September 2009 and the Deputy will note that, since then, there has been a substantial increase in the number of formal complaints against licensed individuals. During the same period, 2007 to 2010, the Authority received over 3,300 informal complaints through its reporting mechanisms. The number of such reports is also set out as follows as are the number of cases investigated and completed by the Authority.

Table 4 Complaints and Investigations between 2007 and 2010

With regard to the Deputy's query regarding the number of cases referred by the Authority to the Gardaí, I would like to clarify that An Garda Síochána do not take prosecutions on behalf of the Authority. Instead, the Authority bring their own prosecutions under the Private Security Services Act 2004. The relevant details are outlined as follows:

Table 5 Prosecution cases between 2007 and 2010