Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2016 to Question 52365, when hon. Members were first made aware of Operation Bridger.

Operation BRIDGER is a nationwide police protective security operation to enhance the security of Members of Parliament. This was set up in the wake of a number of threats to MPs’ following the Parliamentary debates on Syria late last year.

Advice and guidance regarding Members’ security and a process to access funding for standardised security measures was sent to all MPs’ by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) on 21 January. Following the murder of Jo Cox, a letter was sent to all Members on 27 June by the Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO), Mark Rowley, and the Chief Executive of IPSA, Marcial Boo, highlighting security measures in place and making some revisions to these, including introducing a police resource to provide for reporting of incidents within the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command at Westminster.

On 16 September, the Leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, and the Chairman of Ways and Means, Lindsay Hoyle, wrote to all Members to outline further changes to the processes for enabling security measures, to highlight police resource and ongoing work to develop a comprehensive picture of risk, and to note the provision of self protection training and protective security advice for Members.

On 5 December, David Lidington and Lindsay Hoyle provided a further update to Members on personal security arrangements, which included details of a revised process to be followed by Members who have concerns regarding their security.