Martyn’s Law – Government publishes draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny

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.

As promised, the Government has today published the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Home Affairs Select Committee, ahead of formal introduction to Parliament.

In December 2022, the government announced that Martyn’s Law will introduce a tiered model for certain locations depending on the capacity of the premise or event and the activity taking place, to prevent unnecessary burden to business. The legislation is intended to ensure venues are prepared for, and ready to respond in the event of, an attack.

The standard tier will apply to public premises with a maximum capacity of 100 or more people, whilst the enhanced tier applies to public premises and events with a maximum capacity of 800 or more people. 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 want additional support.

Standard tier premises 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 in order 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.

An inspection and enforcement regime will be established to promote the requirements for each tier. In the event of non-compliance, sanctions and ultimately penalties will be issued to premises.

Further details to follow, but please see our Martyn’s Law page for background information.

For further information or queries, please feel free to contact Andy Grimsey or any of our licensing solicitors.