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As part of exi’s multi-disciplinary team, our Health & Safety consultants can advise you on the proposed Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill.
As you may have heard, in May 2023 the Home Office published a draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. The new draft law, referred to as Martyn’s Law, will ensure that the UK is better prepared for, and protected from, terrorist attacks.
The Bill sets out the requirements that venues and other organisations will have to meet to ensure public safety. ‘Martyn’s Law’ is a tribute to Martyn Hett who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. (Also referred to as “The Protect Duty”).
The draft Bill will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Home Affairs Select Committee, ahead of formal introduction. The Bill is on track to be enacted during 2023.
Martyn’s Law will introduce a tiered model for certain locations depending on the capacity of the premises or event and the activity taking place, to help prevent unnecessary burden to business. The legislation requires the responsible person to register the premises and will ensure venues are prepared for, and ready to respond, in the event of an attack.
The two tiers for qualifying locations are:
- Standard duty premises, and
- Enhanced duty premises
The Standard tier will apply to public premises with a maximum capacity of 100 people or more, whilst the Enhanced tier applies to public premises and events with a maximum capacity of 800 people or more. Limited exemptions to the capacity requirements apply to education establishments and places of worship. Guidance and training materials will also be available to premises with a capacity of under 100, should they also want additional support.
Standard tier premises and events will be required to undertake basic, low-cost activities to improve their preparedness, including terrorism protection training and evaluating the best procedures to put in place to minimise impact.
Enhanced tier premises and events have further requirements in recognition of the potential consequences of a successful attack. This will include appointing a designated senior officer who must regularly review the security of the venue.
Martyn’s Law will extend to and apply across the whole of the United Kingdom and has been developed following extensive consultation with the public, businesses, and campaign groups. The significant majority agree that those responsible for publicly accessible locations should take measures to protect the public from potential attacks.
An inspection and enforcement regime will be established under the regulator to promote the requirements for each tier. In the event of non-compliance, sanctions, and ultimately penalties, will be issued to premises.
For any questions you may have about your obligations under the newly proposed Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, please contact exi for support and advice.
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