Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if there is a way to reduce the new financial burden being placed by Government Departments on people like electricians who are also involved in installing electric gates and cameras which are used for business and domestic security purposes; if the fees being charged to register with the Private Security Authority and the subsequent second certification required by other organisations approved by the licensing authority which amounts to approximately €4,000 per annum before they enter this new era of business or continues the work in the area he has been doing all along; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46034/12]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views in relation to the cost involved with registering with the Private Security Authority for persons like qualified electricians who are installing electric gates and cameras for domestic and business premises; the cost required for the second certification by the bodies approved by the Private Security Authority before a person can engage in this work; the costs that this will put on sole traders and small business before they can enter this area or continue in this area; the impact that this will have in driving some persons out of this business and thereby allowing this operation to be carried out by larger businesses who can afford to meet these new costs imposed by the Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46024/12]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the new regulations on licensing for electrical contractors for the installation of CCTV and access control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46515/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 463, 495 and 517 together.

The Private Security Authority, an independent agency under the remit of my Department, is the regulatory body with responsibility for regulating and licensing the private security industry in the State. The Private Security Services Act 2004 (as amended) sets out the activities in the private security industry which are, or will be, subject to licensing. One of the security services prescribed in the primary legislation is that of 'installers of security equipment' which includes services such as intruder alarms, access control, and CCTV.

The Authority has adopted a phased approach to the licensing of the industry and the licensing of installers of intruder alarms systems commenced in August 2006. More recently, in May 2012, new Regulations were introduced to extend the Authority's licensing remit to include contractors installing CCTV and access control systems. Since 1st October 2012, all such contractors require a licence from the PSA and this completes the Authority's licensing of contractors in the electronic security sector. I am informed by the Authority that the extension of licensing to these sectors had been in preparation for a considerable time and involved two public consultation stages which were notified to industry stakeholders including bodies representing electrical contractors.

Contractors such as those in the access control and CCTV sectors are required to pay a licence fee to the Authority. I am informed by the Authority that the current fee, which is for a two year licence, was set by the Authority in 2005 and has not been increased since that time. Furthermore, the Authority has informed me that existing licence holders in the alarm installation sector can, subject to meeting the required standard, add the cctv/access control element to their existing licence at no extra cost.

The provision of a regulatory environment understandably has cost implications for the industry but the public and the industry itself both benefit from regulation and it is in line with Government policy that industry should fund such regulation. The Authority has made every effort to ensure that costs are kept to a minimum and has also introduced an instalment payment option to assist contractors with paying for their licence. The PSA's licence fee structure is monitored by the Authority on a regular basis and I am advised that the Board of the Authority is, in fact, currently reviewing the licence fee structure.

In order to obtain a licence contractors are required to meet standards specified by the Authority. The standard required for the access control sector is SR 40:2005 - an Irish Standard Recommendation for electronic security services. For CCTV, both the SR 40 standard and PSA 2006:12 are required, the latter being the Authority's requirements for CCTV installation. Compliance with the standards is certified by auditing bodies. These auditing bodies are commercial entities and it up to contractors to choose the auditing body that best meets their requirements.

Since licensing commenced on the 1 October, the Authority has issued 285 access control licences and 297 CCTV licences. A further 60 applications for licences in these sectors are currently being processed. The Authority expects to continue to receive applications over the coming weeks as it commences compliance work in the two new sectors. The Authority’s aim is to ensure that all those who require a licence meet the statutory requirements of the Private Security Services Acts. The introduction of regulation to a previously unregulated industry will always present challenges for both the regulator and the industry. Since its establishment the Authority has brought about a fundamental change in the industry through a standards based licensing system.