Understanding Martyn’s Law
6th January 2025
New Draft Legislation: Terrorism Protection of Premises 2024
Does your organisation host large events or own large premises? The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, also known as Martyn’s Law, was included in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024 before being introduced to parliament in September. The bill is currently in its first stage and may undergo several changes before becoming a legal requirement.
If this legislation could affect your organisation in the future, our Health and Safety advice team has summarised what is included and the proposed changes.
The aim of the Bill
In summary, the Bill is intended to ensure public premises and events are better prepared for terrorist attacks and ready to respond. It will require organisations to take reasonably practicable actions, which will be dependent on the size of the event or the number of members of the public a premises holds.
Those responsible for certain premises and events will be required to take measures which aim to reduce the opportunity of a terrorist attack and reduce harm in the event of one occurring.
It will also require those responsible for larger premises and events to take steps to reduce vulnerability to terrorist attacks.
Key areas included
Qualifying premises and events
Standard duty premises and events are the groups most likely to affect third-sector organisations. We recommend considering the use of your premises and events held there against the current Schedule 1 of the draft Bill found here on the UK Parliament website.
The draft bill currently describes the qualifying premises/events as follows:
- The premises are primarily used for a use or uses described within Schedule 1 of the bill, including an extensive list of venue types and event types
- The public has access to the premises or a part of the premises;
- The premises have a public capacity of 100 or more individuals.
Some organisations may find that they fall within ‘Enhanced Duty Premises’
- ‘Enhanced duty premises’ are qualifying public premises with a public capacity of 800 or more individuals;
A “qualifying public event” means an event where the following conditions are met:
- The event is to be held at premises which are not qualifying public premises (otherwise, the premises would have completed the assessment)
- The public or a section of the public will have access to the premises, or a part of it, for the purpose of attending the event;
Access for the public to attend an event must be by express permission only (this could be a paid event or a free event). This would include events such as a conference held for a number of organisations in a larger space, such as a town hall, etc.
Changes required
Organisations will need to ensure they register with the regulator.
The person responsible will need to ensure the premises are registered, which is the same for qualifying events.
Currently, the regulator will be a public authority, or if no public authority is arranged, the Secretary of State will be the regulator.
Training is also required for staff to understand standard terrorism evaluations and enhanced risk assessments.
When the new regulations come into force, we advise that staff members who are responsible under the new Bill have suitable and sufficient training. It is expected that free training materials will be made available.
Those organisations with Enhanced Duty Premises or Events will need to consider the level of training required to ensure that they can complete a Terrorism Risk Assessment for that event. More details should become available as the legislation is debated and discussed.
A brief overview of the terms
A “standard terrorism evaluation” of premises is a document which provides information about the following (these would be completed for the Standard Duty Premises/Events):
- the types of acts of terrorism most likely to occur at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises
- the measures in place in relation to the premises that might be expected to reduce the risk of acts of terrorism of those types occurring at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises;
- the measures in place in relation to the premises that might be expected to reduce the risk of physical harm to individuals if acts of terrorism were to occur at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises;
- the procedures to be followed if acts of terrorism were to occur at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises;
- the ways in which individuals who use the premises as a place of work will be made aware of the standard terrorism evaluation of the premises, or relevant information in the evaluation;
A terrorism risk assessment would involve assessing:
- the types of acts of terrorism most likely to occur at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises or event
- the reasonably practicable measures that might be expected to reduce the risk of acts of terrorism of those types occurring at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises or event;
- the reasonably practicable measures that might be expected to reduce the risk of physical harm to individuals if acts of terrorism of those types were to occur at, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises or event;
Find Support
There are penalties for failing to meet legislative requirements currently covered in the bill. Please contact our health and safety expert for support if you think you might be affected by these plans. Drop us an email or call 0141 271 2330.
Track the progression of the bill through here:
Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill – UK Parliament
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