Written question asked by Andrew Dismore (Labour) on Monday, 27 February 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 March 2006. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Thursday, 15 June 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Security Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the ability of the security industry authority to respond to telephone enquiries; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: On average, the SIA call centre handles approximately 1,000 calls a day. During March 2006, average call volumes were four times higher than normal, reaching a peak of 8,000 calls on 20 March 2006. This high level of demand resulted from a late influx of cases.To address this high demand, the SIA have increased the number of phone lines, hired more operators, and made their website more user-friendly. For example, the SIA are going to put onto their website an online tracker facility enabling applicants to check the progress of their application and to inform them of the date when they are likely to receive their licence.

Secondary information