Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department made an assessment of the potential merits of including outdoor events in the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill.

The Bill has provided for events to be in scope where it is considered that there is an appropriate level of control and that mitigating measures for protective security and preparedness can reasonably be put in place.

For an event to be in scope of the bill, it must:

• take place in a building, on other land or at a combination of the two (unless the location already falls within the enhanced tier);
• be accessible to members of the public;
• have individuals in place at the event to take payment from members of the public or to check their tickets or passes; and
• be reasonably expected to be attended by 800 or more individuals at some point during the event.

Outdoor events that satisfy the above criteria will fall within scope of the Bill. Well established processes already exist to help those responsible for large open events to consider threats and develop appropriate protection and preparedness arrangements. This includes processes, led by the police, to consider security for large open events and, where appropriate, the deployment of appropriate measures and procedures working with event organisers.