Asked by: Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to improve the safety of large events following the release of the report commissioned by Liverpool City Council, A Review of Safety Related Matters: Liverpool Victory Parade: 26th May 2025, published on 6 March.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
HSE provide guidance on the measures to be taken when organising events “Event safety - HSE” and the Events Industry Forum publishes “The Purple Guide” which provides guidance on health, safety and welfare to those organising events and this document provides guidance on minimising the risk at large events.
Sites and event organisers are encouraged to consider and implement hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) as part of wider protective security considerations. Comprehensive advice and guidance is available via the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), which includes signposting to a suite of HVM products and counter-measures.
The specialist advice regarding HVM includes up-to-date technical resources and best practice advice regarding their deployment, and is available from the organisations listed above. Additionally, the Home Office, in collaboration with other Government agencies, continuously assesses the threat posed by attacks using vehicles.
The Home Office continuously works with both Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) and NPSA to support developments, research and innovations for HVM measures. As a result of this ongoing work, a range of sophisticated counter measures are available which venue owners and event organisers can draw on when considering their own protective security measures.
More widely, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (commonly known as Martyn’s Law) will place duties on those responsible for certain premises and events to take reasonably practicable steps to reduce the risk of harm from terrorism, once its requirements come into force. Whether an event falls within scope will depend on its specific circumstances and whether it meets the criteria set out in the legislation. While events such as non‑ticketed public parades would not generally be expected to fall within scope, for major events that do, the Government considers Martyn’s Law an important part of strengthening public safety and preparedness alongside existing guidance and best practice.
Asked by: Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to hold public bodies to account in the light of the findings of the report Hillsborough Disaster: The report of the IOPC and Operation Resolve investigations, published on 2 December.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The unlawful killing of 97 people at Hillsborough 36 years ago remains a stain on our nation’s history, and publication of the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) report serves as a stark reminder of one of the most significant failings in policing the country has ever seen.
The IOPC’s report is clear there was a lack of candour from the police officers involved. Thanks to the tireless campaigning of the families and survivors of the Hillsborough disaster, this Government is introducing the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, otherwise known as the Hillsborough Law. This landmark legislation will place a new legal duty of candour on all public servants and authorities, requiring them to act truthfully and to fully support inquests, investigations and inquiries. It will also bring clarity to the offence of Misconduct in Public Office by placing it on a statutory footing, introduce a new criminal offence of misleading the public, and provide legal aid for victims of disasters and state-related deaths.
Whilst it is extremely frustrating that none of the police officers named in the IOPC’s report will face disciplinary action, the Policing and Crime Act 2017 now ensures that police officers cannot evade misconduct proceedings by retiring or resigning, meaning this failing can never be repeated.
These measures directly respond to the failings identified by the IOPC and ensure that, if a similar situation were to arise today, those responsible would be held to account.