Members of the House of Lords concluded their detailed examination of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, during committee stage last Wednesday (12 February). One of the amendments could take some retail premises out of scope with proposed capacity of qualifying premises to 300.

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill aims to improve protective security and preparation across the UK by requiring those responsible for certain public buildings and venues to implement measures to mitigate the risk of physical harm and, in the case of larger premises, to reduce vulnerability to terrorist attacks.

Committee stage is a thorough examination of the individual parts (clauses) of the Bill. Starting from the front of the Bill, members work through the clauses in order, considering changes (amendments) to the wording or proposals for new clauses.

Committee stage took place over four days:

• Monday 3 February.
• Wednesday 5 February.
• Monday 10 February.
• Wednesday 12 February.

Proposed changes

Members speaking on the fourth and final day of committee stage (12 February) put forward amendments (PDF) to the Bill on subjects including:

• Human Rights Act 1998 compatibility in regard to protesting.
• Tax relief incentives for increased security.
• Responsibilities of local authorities.

On 10 February, members put forward amendments to the Bill on subjects including:

• Power of ministers to alter public protection procedures.
• Waiving of protection procedures for venues if the costs are unreasonable.
• Developing and implementing training on public protection.

On 5 February, amendments on subjects including the following were put forward:

• Preventing individuals entering or leaving events.
• Exemptions to new rules due to unreasonable costs.
• Security procedures for rural and outdoor events.
• Deadlines for organisations’ submissions of security plans.

Members speaking on day one of committee stage put forward amendments to the Bill on subjects including:

• Raising capacity of ‘qualifying premises’ to 300.
• Capacity of railway stations excluding rail vehicles.
• Exclusion of small capacity sports grounds.

What’s next?

Report stage, a further chance to closely scrutinise elements of the Bill and make changes, is scheduled for Tuesday 4 March.