Schedule 2 - Activities liable to control under the Act
Private Security Industry Bill [Lords]
6:15 pm
Mr Simon Hughes (North Southwark and Bermondsey, Liberal Democrat)
I am sympathetic to the amendment for the reasons that the right hon. Gentleman gave. As people in the security industry do a job that brings them into contact with the wider public—not just with their fellow employees—they should be subject to the same general approval. I can see the argument against that. When a company employs people directly, they have all the terms and conditions before them and are governed by the usual rules of company employment, which include the security of interresponsibility between employees. It does not seem to me, however, that the amendment would necessarily be more burdensome. It may be rejected on the ground that regulation exists, and no doubt the better regulation taskforce will point out any additional regulations. Although I accept that the amendment would produce a slight increase in administrative responsibility, the logic of the case has been made.
We shall shortly reach the group of amendments that relate to the companies that provide the security industry's range of services, even though that is not their main range. An increasing number of companies in the construction industry, such as large building and surveyors companies with international contracts, used to do building work and provide professional surveying advice, and are now facilities companies offering a package of services. They may take up a contract in the middle east and do everything from obtaining planning permission, if that is required, to the final signing over of the building. They will subcontract in everyone from lift contractors to the suppliers of public utilities. Likewise, in this country many people offer a service to take over an operation. They may take over a national health service building, or an office block across the river, and look after the whole operation, providing all services—catering, cleaning and so on. There is no guarantee that the employer is used to dealing with such work. It is therefore at risk if it is not well done, as it would be in other sectors.
I hope that the Minister understands the importance of this issue. Are the Government simply not yet persuaded of the case, do they think that it should not happen in the first wave, or have they a more fundamental objection to the amendment? If it is the latter, he might suggest how such an objection could be overcome by argument and persuasion.
As a post-script, if the Government resist the amendment and the Secretary of State later decides that there should be an alteration, is there an opportunity in the Bill to amend the future Act through secondary legislation and introduce the category identified in the amendment?