Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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447. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of inspections in 2023 and to date in 2024 by the Private Security Authority of accommodations contracted to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in the context of enforcement of personal working at those locations to hold an enforcement guard licence. [22776/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Private Security Authority (PSA), an independent body under the aegis of my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for licensing and regulating the private security industry in Ireland. The PSA regulates a wide range of security services including security guards and enforcement guards.

I am informed by the PSA that the appropriate licence for those providing security at accommodation centres is that of security guard and not enforcement guard as referenced in the Deputy’s question.

The PSA has also informed me that it carried out 3 investigations in 2023 and 4 investigations to date in 2024 into the provision of security services at accommodation centres contracted to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.