Proposed legislation aims to enhance preparedness for terrorist attacks while ensuring the protection of the public without imposing undue burdens on smaller businesses.
Named in honour of Martyn Hett, who lost his life in the tragic Manchester Arena attack of 2017, Martyn’s Law mandates premises to undertake necessary yet proportionate measures, tailored to their capacity, to safeguard the public.
His mum, Figen Murray, has been campaigning for the legislation and received an OBE for her efforts. She has also graduated with a Master’s in counter-terrorism and spoken to 20,000 children about radicalisation.
Under the law, it is proposed that premises will be categorised into ‘standard tier’ (capacity of 100-799) or ‘enhanced tier’ (capacity of 800 or more).
Consultation open
A consultation on the revised approach to the standard tier aims to gather feedback to ensure the new regulations do not overly burden smaller enterprises while maintaining public safety.
The consultation is open to the public until March 18. It particularly seeks views from those responsible for smaller premises, especially those in the community and voluntary sector.
Security minister, Tom Tugendhat, said: “Simple steps save lives. Martyn’s Law will help protect the British public from terrorism, and make sure public premises are better prepared in the event of a terror attack.
“I want to make sure that our proposals are balanced and proportionate. That’s why our updated approach is easy to implement, and better tailored to individual businesses.
“I’d encourage smaller premises to share their feedback on these crucial changes. Your feedback will help ensure that Martyn’s Law stands the test of time.”
Updated requirements
The updated requirements for smaller businesses, set out in the consultation, are centred around outcomes rather than processes. For example, it will remove the requirement to complete any specific terrorism training.
Instead, those responsible for these premises will be asked to put in place procedures such as evacuation and lock-ins in the event of an attack.
The new ‘reasonably practicable’ approach is better suited to the wide range of organisations that will be within the scope of standard tier because they will assess and implement procedures that are suitable to their individual circumstances.
This aligns with other regulatory regimes, such as health and safety, which require reasonably practicable steps.
A Martyn’s Law regulator will be established to monitor compliance and advise premises within scope of the legislation. Premises within standard tier will be required to notify the regulator that they are within the scope of this legislation.
This revised approach is designed to be low-to-no financial cost, with associated costs largely driven by the time taken to communicate them to staff.
Following the conclusion of the consultation process, the Bill will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
The consultation is available on gov.uk (Martyn’s Law: standard tier consultation – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Editorial credit: The tribute to the Manchester Arena bomb victims, Ian Francis / Shutterstock.com
