Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the private security licencing regime.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has been brought under the Security Minister’s portfolio in a move that will ensure that the SIA is provided clear, strategic direction from the Home Office on both regulation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill and also the Private Security Industry Act moving forward. The Home Office and the SIA are overseeing a substantial programme of work to ensure that the SIA can deliver for the public. This will include:

• tightening existing safeguards, to ensure that those who present a risk to the public cannot access an SIA licence.
• work to ensure criminality is driven out of the industry, including a review of the SIA’s investigation and enforcement remit, powers and tools for its current role.