Updated: 23 July 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

ProtectUk have just released an FAQ guide for businesses on Martyn’s Law, which covers the following:

• Scope
• Responsibility
• Martyn’s Law and other regimes
• Regulation
• Inspections and enforcement
• Data security and information sharing

Roadmap to improved counter terrorism security and readiness

ProtectUK have also produced a Roadmap to help sites and organisations understand their vulnerabilities and start their journey to improve counter terrorism security and readiness. They want businesses to follow all the steps in the roadmap, but what is proportionate and appropriate at each step will vary from business to business. Any business subject to The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, (Martyn’s Law) should refer to the Section 27 statutory guidance to understand compliance with the legislation – see also FAQs above.

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Updated: 21 May 2026

SIA Draft Guidance Webinars
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is inviting organisations that may be affected by, or have an interest in, Martyn’s Law to review and comment on new draft statutory guidance. This consultation is an important opportunity for businesses to understand how the SIA intends to regulate Martyn’s Law when it comes into force, which is currently expected in Spring 2027.

To support the consultation, the SIA is hosting a series of webinars to explain the draft guidance and highlight the key areas where feedback is being sought.

• Friday 22 May 2pm – 2:45pm / 3pm – 3:45pm
• Wednesday 3 June, 12:30pm – 1:15pm / 4pm – 4:45pm
• Tuesday 9 June, 10am – 10:45am / 2pm – 2:45pm

Register here.

Additional Martyn’s Law Q&A Webinars
For businesses looking to better understand Martyn’s Law and its practical implications, a further series of private security-led Q&A webinars will take place this summer.

• 3 June 11am – 12pm: In scope or out of scope – How to apply the Martyn’s Law criteria. Register here
• 22 July 11am – 12pm: How to Plan Protective Security Procedures. Register here.
• 26 August 11am – 12pm: Protective Security Measures. Register here.

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Updated: 15 April 2026

The Home Office have published Statutory Guidance on Martyn’s Law (The Protection of Premises Bill) which sets out the requirements of the Act and what people and organisations affected by the Act must do to comply.

In addition, the Security Industry Authority also released a consultation for a draft of the guidance they are required to produce on how they propose to exercise their functions as the regulator and this webpage also explains how they will regulate the people and organisations affected by the Act.

The SIA consultation closes on 12 June 2026, with all of these documents and the consultation available via the links above or from the UK Government website.

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Updated: 26 February 2026

The Home Office have created three new guidance documents on ProtectUK:

• An infographic on premises scope: Qualifying Premises: How to determine whether your premises is in scope of the Act
• An infographic on events scope: Qualifying Events: How to determine whether your event is in scope of the Act
• Top Tips on getting ready for Martyn’s Law including what you should know about the Act, where to find free resources on counter terrorism and protective security, and how to prepare your staff.

ProtectUK will continue to develop and produce communications material across the implementation period and we will share further guidance once it is available for release.

Further detail can be found on the ProtectUk Martyn’s Law webpage.

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Updated: 30 September 2025

The Home Office shared additional material to support the continued focus on raising awareness about The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, more commonly known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ and building on existing published material such as the government factsheets and information on the ProtectUK website.

The documents released on 30 September 2025 are:

• A leaflet explaining the Act’s scope, requirements, the responsible person and regulator.
• A ‘Myth Buster’ addressing misconceptions about the Act, discouraging the use of third-party providers and encouraging organisations to put effective protective security in place.

The Government intends for there to be an implementation period of at least 24 months post Royal Assent before the Act comes into force, with further Statutory guidance to be published ahead of commencement to ensure that those in scope have the required information on what to do and how best to do it.

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Updated: June 2025 

On 17 June 2025, the Home Office released a short video designed to educate on the scope and requirements of the new Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, known as Martyn’s Law. This easy-to-follow animation is intended to help those responsible for premises and events understand the conditions of the Act and what it will involve should they fall into scope.

Watch the video here.

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Updated: May 2025

The Competent Persons Scheme

During May 2025, the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) delivered briefings to provide updates on their developments to date on the Competent Persons Scheme, especially in light of the progression of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Martyn’s Law).

The Competent Persons Scheme is not part of the Martyn’s Law legislation, however is intended to support the legislation and enable upskilling and professionalising the counter terrorism security and preparedness for all sites and organisations, regardless of their size, location or activities and purposes.

The scheme has two separate workstreams: a qualification and a register –

• The Competent Person in the Workplace (CPIW)

CPIW is intended as a Level 3 Ofqal qualification aimed at security supervisors and managers and is an introduction to the principles and concepts of counter terrorism (CT) protective security and preparedness. It will be the only NaCTSO approved qualification in this field.

• The Counter Terrorism Security Specialist Register (CTSSR)

CTSSR will be a register of verified CT security specialists whom operate in an advisory or consultant capacity and feature specialist consultants in this field. It will be hosted by the Register of Security Engineers and Specialists (RSES) and administered by the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE).

NaCTSO are waiting for statutory guidance to be published and once in place, will provide further updates and clarity over the content, process and guidance. Currently, dependent upon the statutory guidance, they hope for them to be operational and available from Spring 2026.

Updates will be published on the ProtectUK website and we will also be monitoring and updating our guidance on our dedicated Martyn’s Law webpage.

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Updated: May 2025

The Act sets out that the procedures and measures that must be put in place by organisations for their premises or event should be determined by what is appropriate and reasonably practicable for their individual circumstances. Duty holders should take into account the nature of the premises or event, their activities, and resources when determining what to take forward. The particular procedures or measures in place at one location may not be appropriate and reasonably practicable at another.

The Government intends for there to be an implementation period of at least 24 months before the Act comes into force, with this period to enable those responsible for premises and events to have sufficient time to understand their new obligations, and to plan and prepare accordingly.

Whilst those that fall within scope of the Act may wish to consider the requirements, there is no requirement to comply with them until the legislation comes into force. The Home Office will publish statutory guidance during the 24 month implementation period to assist those responsible to understand the requirements set out in the legislation.

Premises and events do not need to spend money on third party suppliers or consultants to be compliant with the legislative requirements. The Government’s statutory guidance will assist in determining whether premises or events are in scope of the legislation and, if so, which tier they fall within. It will enable duty holders to make their own assessments on how they will meet the requirements of the relevant tier – and in turn make an assessment on whether they need to seek further support. Neither the Home Office nor the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) endorse any third-party products or providers in respect of compliance with this legislation.

In addition to the The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) updated guidance around Evacuation, Lockdown and Invacuation, which will all form part of businesses planning for Martyn’s Law, the Home Office have also now released eight useful Policy Paper Factsheets.

The Protect UK Martyn’s Law page contains useful guidance and links for organisations, and we will continue to monitor and publish the latest updates on this page.

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Updated: April 2025

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, also known as Martyn’s Law, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025.

You can view the legislation here.

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Updated: July 2024 

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, also known as Martyn’s Law, was included in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024 as part of the programme of legislation in this Parliamentary session and introduced to Parliament yesterday.

The link below summarises the outlined changes to the duty and highlights some of the issues around the requirements of a responsible person, assessment of capacity and the role of the regulator, with more detail yet to be provided around key points which will be developed as the bill move forwards. MPs are next due to consider the Bill at a Second Reading on Monday 14 October 2024.

Two of the key updates are:

Capacity Requirements – Premises that are reasonably expected to have 200-799 individuals on the premises at the same time will fall within the standard tier. This is a change from the previous 100 -799 capacity, though there is no change planned to the enhanced tier threshold of 800 individuals or more.

New Regulator for Guidance, Advice, and Inspection – The bill will establish a regulator to oversee compliance, which will be an additional role for the existing Security Industry Authority (SIA), whose main aim will be to support, advise and guide businesses to implement the legislation’s requirements.

Read more detail and factsheets on the latest developments of Martyn’s Law.

We will update further after the Second Reading in Parliament on 14 October 2024.

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Updated: June 2023

Martyn’s Law, an upcoming piece of legislation for owners and operators of venues and public spaces, will require venues to put in place measures to keep the public safe from a terrorist attack. The level of measures required is based upon the capacity, size of venue and nature of activity taking place.

The legislation is focused around two tiers:

• Standard: Those venues with a capacity of more than 100 (though less than 800)
• Enhanced: Those venues with a capacity of more than 800

The measures proposed apply to all venues, including those with a capacity of less than 100 and best practice is for every premise and organisation to review the guidelines and existing counter terrorism assets and training available. ProtectUK provides good examples and assets here that can be used now to prepare.

On 2 May 2023 the proposed Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill was published as a draft, along with explanatory notes. The draft Bill has been published for pre legislative scrutiny and a final version will then be drawn up for the Government to progress, with timescales for this as yet undetermined.

Whilst waiting for the final guidance and regulations to be provided, businesses and organisations should prepare now, by understanding the expected requirements.

You can find the Draft Standard Terrorism Evaluation Guidance here, this useful document provides guidance to those completing the Standard Terrorism Evaluation, as well as additional information and examples of information that can be included within the completed plan. The Draft Standard Terrorism Evaluation can be found here.

The Standard Terrorism Evaluation Overview is set around 3 sections: Think, Plan, Activate.

Think

The UK faces a persistent threat from terrorism and although attacks are rare, the impact of such attacks is high. Therefore it is important to take sensible and proportionate steps to prepare for such an incident. Organisations will need to consider how their premises could become targeted as part of a terrorist incident and the types of terrorist attack which may be relevant.

Plan

An evaluation must be completed to ensure that your premises is prepared for an attack and this is set around a 6-task plan:

1. Plan to warn people on the premises that an attack is taking place.
2. Plan to lockdown your premises
3. Plan to evacuate your premises
4. Plan to call the emergency services and relay the necessary information.
5. Use available first aid and fore equipment.
6. Consider how you can make your neighbours or local network aware of your plan and alert them of an attack.

You will find a template provided to record all relevant actions in the Draft Standard Terrorism Evaluation.

Activate

Once your evaluation is complete it must be kept up to date and reviewed, with a copy made available to each individual working at your premises.

It is also recommended that you incorporate its content into inductions for new workers, rehearse the 6-task plan and record the rehearsal, plus all training and briefings given.

We will add this new content onto our website and update as and when new legislation and guidelines issued.