Written question asked by Lord Pickles (Conservative) on Friday, 24 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 March 2006. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 May 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Security Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the Security Industry Authority to process licences.

Answer: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has contracted out the checking and processing of licence applications to BT who is their managed service provider. The final decision to grant or refuse a licence is then made by SIA staff. A mix of permanent and temporary staff is employed to manage the volume variations caused by the late response of the security industry to the introduction of licensing. To help manage the late rush of application the SIA have opened two temporary processing units, one managed by BT one by the SIA. In total there are 186 staff employed by BT and the SIA to deliver licensing to applicants.

Secondary information