§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what monitoring his Department carries out of the employment policies of private security firms.
§ Mr. JackWe are supporting the development of self-regulation within the private security industry. As part of this policy we encourage adherence to the relevant British Standards covering technical and managerial competence.
On 20 October my right hon. and learned Friend attended the launch of the inspectorate of the security industry, which will inspect guarding firms against these standards. Inspection will not be compulsory, but British Standards provide the industry's users with a benchmark for deciding whether firms are suitable.