Home Affairs committee report on Martyn’s Law – our response
July 27, 2023
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The Home Affairs committee has published its report on Martyn’s Law, the draft legislation intended to impose a new duty on owners of publicly accessible property to address evolving terrorism threats.
The report welcomes the overall intentions of the Bill but raises concerns about the its proportionality, especially in relation to its impact on smaller premises.
It says there is a lack of evidence that the risk of terrorist threat justifies the measures
proposed.
Our response
Our Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “We welcome today’s Select Committee report, which among its recommendations highlights concerns around the cost burden on ‘standard’ and ‘enhanced tier’ premises of implementing these proposals, which risks being disproportionate to the level of threat. This is particularly acute for smaller and medium-sized premises.
“UKHospitality and our members have been engaging with the Home Office to ensure that Martyn’s Law can be achieved in a way that is proportionate and practical for venues and does not cut across the existing effective work that businesses are doing in this area.
Getting the balance of practicality and safety is crucial, and we hope the Home Office takes on board the recommendations from the Committee to achieve this.
“Protecting our customers and staff is a priority for venues, who want to ensure that the great experiences hospitality offers also comes with the best possible safety and security for all.
“We will continue to work with our members to help provide comprehensive guidance on compliance and implementation as the legislation develops, as well as continue our work alongside the Home Office on the formalisation of the Bill itself.”
