Written question asked by Phyllis Starkey (Labour) on Monday, 13 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 March 2006. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Thursday, 18 May 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Security Industry Authority

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Security Industry Agency has cost.

Answer: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is required to be self-financing from the licence fee income but it was always anticipated that the SIA would not break even in its first couple of years, because of the gradual introduction of licensing, which will eventually meet all the SIA’s running costs. The deficit in the first year, 2003-04, was £7.1 million as the SIA had no licence income. In 2004-05, the deficit was £13 million, and the estimated deficit for 2005-06 is about £3.5 million.

Secondary information