Questions

203. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to set out the Government’s position, prior to the enactment of the Private Security Services Act 2004, regarding the legal powers available to private security personnel in relation to the detention, restraint, or physical control of individuals; to clarify whether the Private Security Services Act 2004 provides any statutory power fo…

204. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to clarify whether private security personnel possess any statutory authority to detain, restrain, or physically control individuals under the Private Security Services Act 2004, or whether their powers are limited solely to those available to any member of the public under common-law citizen’s arrest. [64416/25]

205. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the Government’s stated legal position prior to the enactment of the Private Security Services Act 2004 regarding the powers, if any, of private security personnel to detain or restrain members of the public. [64417/25]

206. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will state whether his Department recognises the practice of private security personnel “retaining and detaining” individuals as being outside the scope of lawful authority; and if so, what actions the Department is taking to address such practices. [64418/25]

207. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to set out the legal parameters governing the use of force by private security personnel, including proportionality, necessity, and the requirement for immediate handover to An Garda Síochána following any alleged citizen’s arrest. [64419/25]

208. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to detail the oversight mechanisms within the Private Security Authority (PSA) to identify, investigate, and sanction private security personnel or companies that exceed their lawful authority or engage in unlawful detention or excessive force. [64420/25]

209. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to list the number of cases in each of the past ten years where the Private Security Authority suspended, revoked, or refused licences due to allegations involving unlawful detention, assault, excessive force, or related misconduct. [64421/25]

210. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the PSA has ever carried out or contributed to reviews into incidents involving private security personnel where serious injury or death occurred; and if not, whether the Minister will consider directing such a review. [64422/25]

211. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the annual number of complaints received by the PSA relating to physical force, restraint, or alleged unlawful detention by private security personnel for each of the past ten years. [64423/25]

212. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the number of on-site inspections the PSA has conducted annually for the past ten years, and the number of enforcement actions arising from those inspections. [64424/25]

213. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the minimum training standards required for licensing private security staff, including modules on lawful authority, use of force, restraint, and de-escalation. [64425/25]

214. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether private security training currently includes any accredited instruction on physical restraint; and if not, the assessment which has been made regarding the risks associated with untrained personnel attempting to physically restrain individuals. [64426/25]

215. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if private security licensing requires training on positional asphyxia, medical safety, or the dangers associated with multiple-person restraints; and if not, whether his Department will consider introducing such requirements. [64427/25]

216. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current vetting requirements for private security personnel; and whether his Department has assessed whether the existing regime adequately identifies individuals unsuitable for roles involving physical interaction with the public. [64428/25]

217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether additional regulatory standards apply to private security personnel operating in nightclubs, bars, or late-night venues where interactions involving physical force are more likely. [64429/25]

218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether private security personnel working in nightclubs are required to report incidents involving force or restraint to the PSA or An Garda Síochána; and if such mandatory reporting is monitored or enforced. [64430/25]

219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has conducted any review of risks associated with private security practices in nightclubs, including multi-person restraint, chokeholds, or prone positioning. [64431/25]

220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether a review has been carried out by his Department, the PSA, or An Garda Síochána into deaths linked to interactions with nightclub security staff in the past 25 years; and whether he will consider establishing such a review. [64432/25]

221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the legal obligations on private security personnel to contact An Garda Síochána immediately after detaining an individual under citizen’s arrest; and whether failure to do so constitutes an offence. [64433/25]

222. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any formal protocols exist between An Garda Síochána and the PSA for handling incidents involving private security personnel, and if not, whether such protocols will be established. [64435/25]

223. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has carried out any assessment of legislative gaps concerning the powers, supervision, and accountability of private security staff since the introduction of the Private Security Services Act 2004. [64436/25]

224. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he intends to bring forward amendments to the Private Security Services Act 2004 to strengthen public protections, increase accountability, or place statutory limits on physical restraint practices. [64437/25]

225. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of licensed private security personnel who have been the subject of complaints, allegations, or investigations relating to sexual assault or inappropriate conduct in the past five years; and if the Private Security Authority has recorded trends in such cases. [64438/25]

226. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the current vetting and licensing framework for private security personnel includes specific safeguarding or sexual misconduct screening, and whether any reforms are planned. [64439/25]

227. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration how allegations of sexual assault by private security staff are handled, which bodies have responsibility for investigating such allegations, and whether there is a centralised reporting system. [64440/25]