yup Derek, for awhile now developers were getting notified. Now anyone can also get notified about comments on any plugin by subscribing to the comments. Notifications also now go out to plugin approvers if the plugin is not approved. I'd like to think that the flow of approvals has improved since then (not forgetting valiant efforts from Anthony Borrow). Plugin developers should be now getting responses sooner and more within their period (when they are actively involved in their submission i hope).
Automatic plugins deployment is in the works and we should be seeing it shortly. In fact the moodle side of things is already in moodle 2.5 beta. I'd like to know more about what you meant by 'Security' and if that was a reference to privacy or something else.
ps: i didn't even realise i had hit submit in my previous reply.. i was still drafting it