Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the Prevent programme is not applicable to Northern Ireland; and what plans they have to extend it to there.

Prevent is part of CONTEST, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, which aims to reduce the risk from terrorism to the UK, its citizens and interests overseas. CONTEST addresses all forms of terrorism affecting the UK, except Northern Ireland-related terrorism (NIRT) in Northern Ireland, which is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland given the particular security context in Northern Ireland.

The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 placed Prevent on a statutory footing across Great Britain, and the Government keeps all aspects of counter-terrorism policy under review and continues to work closely with partners across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, to manage the threat from terrorism and support public safety.

Most recently, Youth Diversion Orders (YDOs), introduced in the Crime & Policing Bill, will offer a new counter-terrorism tool for police to manage the risks posed by young people involved in terrorism-related activity, including online. The new legislation will apply across the whole of the UK. Furthermore, alongside the Online Safety Act, the Home Office works to influence industry partners to increase action to tackle online content used to radicalise, recruit and incite terrorism by providing threat assessment, insight and support.