The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill (Martyn’s Law) has now passed its Public Bill Committee stage in the Commons and will shortly have its 3rd Reading before passing on to the Lords.
Prior to being introduced into Parliament (1st Reading) there were consultations on a draft Bill that would have included all public premises over 100 capacity. A large proportion of Village Halls in England would, therefore, have been within its scope. Once enacted the Bill would have placed a legal requirement on Trustees to ensure their premises (and users) were prepared for a terrorism incident. Following extensive lobbying by ACRE and others, when the Bill was introduced in October the lower threshold had been raised to 200 and, once regulations are prepared, there will be some flexibility over how this is defined.
The Home Office has resisted all calls to amend the lower limit back down to 100 and it seems almost certain that this will still be 200 when the Bill starts its passage through the Lords.
ACRE is continuing to keep a careful eye on the passage of the Bill and will continue to resist any amendments back to 100. We are also starting discussions with the Home Office over guidance and regulations for Village Halls of over 200 capacity and any voluntary measures that Trustees of smaller premises may feel they need to take.
