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Minister Shatter announces reduction in fees payable by smaller contractors to the Private Security Authority

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, has today

announced a restructuring of the fees payable for contractor licences

issued by the Private Security Authority (PSA). The PSA has to date

licensed contractors in the cash in transit, door supervisor, security

guarding and installer of security equipment sectors.

The new fee structure follows proposals submitted to the Minister by the

Board of the Authority and sees the turnover fee paid by contractors with a

turnover of €300,000 or less reduced from €1,250 to €250. The additional

administration charge of €1,000 will remain unchanged and so the overall

fee payable by such contractors will now be €1,250 instead of the existing

€2,250, a reduction of 45%. Other changes will see the fee for new

businesses starting up in the security industry being reduced by 55% from

€2,250 to €1,000 while contractors who operate across multiple sectors of

the security industry will also benefit from changes to the fee.

The reduction in fee recognises the difficulties encountered by smaller

contractors in the current economic climate. Announcing the signing of the

Regulation into effect, Minister Shatter said “These contractors are

providing a valuable service to local clients and the fee reduction is made

in an effort to support their continuing in business. I am particularly

delighted at the reduction for new businesses which I hope will encourage

entrepreneurs to enter the industry and lead to increased employment.”

The Minister, together with the new Chairman of the PSA Board and the Chief

Executive of the PSA, recently co-signed the necessary Regulation into

effect, i.e. S.I. No. 293 of 2013, which enables this reduction in fees to

be implemented immediately. Furthermore, the new fee structure is to be

applied retrospectively from 1 January 2013. As a result, any contractor

who falls into this category and who paid the higher fee in respect of an

application made or licence granted on or after 1 January 2013 but who

would now be eligible for the lower fee, will be refunded the difference,

thereby also benefiting from the new lower revised fees structure.

Revised Fee Structure

| | |

Turnover Band | Turnover |Administratio|Total Fee

| Fee* | n Fee | Payable

-----------------------------------+-----------+-------------+----------

| | |

Greater than €10 and not exceeding| €250| €1,000| €1,250

€300,000 | | |

-----------------------------------+-----------+-------------+----------

| | €1,000|

Greater than €0.30 million and | €1,250| | €2,250

less than or equal to €0.625 | | |

million | | |

-----------------------------------+-----------+-------------+----------

| | €1,000|

Greater than €0.625 million and | €2,500| | €3,500

less than or equal to €1.25 | | |

million | | |

-----------------------------------+-----------+-------------+----------

| | €1,000|

Greater than €1.25 million and | €5,000| | €6,000

less than or equal to €3.75 | | |

million | | |

-----------------------------------+-----------+-------------+----------

| | €1,000|

Greater than €3.75 million and | €9,000| | €10,000

less than or equal to €10 million | | |

-----------------------------------+-----------+-------------+----------

| | €1,000|

Greater than €10 million | €19,000| | €20,000

* Where contractors operate across more than one sector of the industry,

the fee will now be based on their combined turnover across all sectors

rather than their turnover in each sector, as was previously the case.