Martyn’s Law features in King’s Speech

IMPORTANT 2024 UPDATE: Following the dissolution of Parliament for the General Election the introduction of Martyn’s Law (officially known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill ) has been delayed. However, both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have committed, should they lead the next Government, to bringing the draft Bill before Parliament for debate as a matter of priority.

“Martyn’s Law, more officially known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, featured in the King’s Speech today and forms part of the Government’s legislative programme for the coming Parliamentary year.

As readers may know the Draft Bill aims to place a duty on qualifying public premises or events to take certain steps to reduce the threat of terrorism to the public. Those qualifying premises will be either Standard duty tier (public premises with a capacity of 100 – 799) or Enhanced duty tier (public premises with a capacity of over 800 individuals).

The Bill may be subject to significant scrutiny given concerns raised by the Home Affairs Select Committee and industry representatives, including in the leisure sector, so we might see amendments as it makes its journey through both Houses.

The Government has stated that in order to ensure the Bill is deliverable for smaller venues it will, before the Bill enters Parliament, launch a consultation on the Standard Tier ‘to ensure the Bill’s measures strike the right balance between public protection and avoiding undue burdens on smaller premises such as village halls, churches, and other community venues’.

How Poppleston Allen can help you prepare for Martyn’s Law.

Poppleston Allen are well aware of the concerns you may have about the implications and costs of complying with Martyn’s Law. That is why we are working closely with an industry leader in counterterrorism and security who has been involved with Martyn’s Law from the beginning to provide a digital package that:

• Will allow users to access a constantly updated sector-specific threat assessment
• Undertake a self-evaluation of their vulnerability to terrorism
• Read simplified guidance on what to do about security weaknesses, and
• Create a plan in line with the proposed regulatory structure of Think, Plan, Activate.

If you want to receive specific updates about Martyn’s Law and the digital service that our security partner is planning to offer then please email us on martynslaw@popall.co.uk