HC Deb 02 February 1998 vol 305 cc710-1
10. Mr. Bob Russell

What estimate he has made of the number of people currently employed in the private security industry; and what proposals he has to regulate this industry. [24621]

Mr. Michael

In evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee in 1995, the Policy Studies Institute put the total size of the industry at about 162,000 employees and over 8,000 firms in 1992.

The Government are committed to statutory regulation of the private security industry. While waiting for an opportunity to legislate, we are consulting and working with the industry and others on the best way in which to design regulation that is simple and effective.

Mr. Russell

So far, so good, but did not the previous Government also conduct a consultation exercise? This is the second such exercise, and I wonder when we can have a decision on some action.

Does the Minister agree that it is strange that, although someone cannot start up a taxi firm and become a taxi driver without being subjected to a number of checks in the public interest, people can leave prison, start up their own security firms—as, indeed, people have done—and to all intents and purposes, by their demeanour and their uniforms, give the impression of being police officers? Is it not time that such people were brought under some form of regulation, in the public interest?

Mr. Michael

Yes, we do think that there is something very odd about the situation. That is why we welcomed the Select Committee's recommendation on regulation, and why we were surprised when the previous Government, year after year, voted against amendments that we tabled to various Bills in order to introduce some form of regulation. We warned them that a new Government, with the pressure of legislation to tackle the whole criminal justice system, would not easily find an early legislative slot in order to take action that had long been needed. We will take such action as quickly as we can, however, and we believe that it is necessary.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

Would not operating practices in the better-run parts of the private security industry be greatly helped by the introduction of a national identity card?

Mr. Michael

A national identity card does not necessarily resonate with what is required for the private security industry. One of the problems is that managers and owners of private firms and their employees are unregulated, and there is a lot of movement among employees. As my hon. Friend suggests, we need a private security industry that meets the standards of the best. The industry and the trade unions agree with us that legislation is necessary.