Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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307. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the current status of the revised alarm standard being prepared by the Private Security Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51837/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Private Security Authority (PSA), an independent agency under the remit of my Department established under the Private Security Services Acts, 2004 and 2011, is the regulatory body with responsibility for regulating and licensing the private security industry in the state. I am informed by the Authority that they published an information document entitled Requirements for the Licensing of Centres Monitoring CCTV and Intruder Alarm Systems in February 2013. This document outlined proposals for dealing with the introduction of the new European standard for monitoring centres, EN 50518, and the future PSA licensing requirements for CCTV and Intruder Alarm monitoring centres. Legal issues on related issues which impacted on the development of the new standard have recently been resolved.

At its November 2013 meeting, the Board of the PSA agreed to the drafting of regulations extending licensing to CCTV Monitoring Centres together with the introduction of a new monitoring centre standard. Following on from this approval, the PSA is undertaking a public consultation process on the new standard. It is expected that this consultation process will be completed by the end of January 2014 at which stage the PSA will announce a timeframe for the licensing of CCTV Monitoring Centres and the introduction of the new standard. The Deputy has previously raised the Firearms (Secure Accommodation) Regulations, S.I. 307 of 2009, which makes reference to alarm standards and back up signalling facilities in the context of the development of the standard. My Department is consulting with An Garda Síochána and the PSA regarding updating the Regulations with a view to addressing in early 2014 the issues previously raised by the Deputy.