Martyn's Law: guidance, consultation and progress

This month brings the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Manchester Arena. As we work towards the launch of the Martyn’s Law regulatory function, we continue to hold those affected by that attack in our thoughts. We make sure that everyone joining the SIA to work on Martyn’s Law knows why Martyn’s Law exists and why our work to reduce the risk of others having to face the devastating consequences of terrorist attacks in future matters so much.

Since my last update, the section 27 statutory guidance from the Home Office has been published. My thanks to everyone involved in the production of that guidance. A significant amount of effort went into engaging those in scope of the Act in the development of the guidance. The Home Office listened and reshaped the guidance based on views shared by those involved. You will see the value of that effort in the document now available here: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: Statutory guidance (accessible).

Consultation on the SIA’s statutory guidance launched

On the same day, Wednesday 15 April, we launched a public consultation on the section 12 statutory guidance. The draft section 12 statutory guidance explains how we will use our powers as the regulator for Martyn’s Law. We launched this consultation alongside the section 27 guidance to give those interested in understanding more about the Act and how to comply, the best chance by reading the two documents together.

Responding to the consultation

The consultation on the draft section 12 guidance is open until Friday 12 June. You can read the document here:

You can provide your answers to the consultation questions by clicking on the survey link at the bottom of the page. We welcome responses from everyone. We want to ensure the guidance is as clear as possible and helps those in the sectors with obligations under Martyn’s Law to understand our approach as a proportionate, supportive and robust regulator. Over the coming weeks we are hosting a series of webinars to allow people to hear more about the draft guidance and ask any questions. Those interested can check the dates and sign up.

Recruitment

Another significant milestone for us is the launch of our recruitment for several of our new roles in the Martyn’s Law directorate. These adverts are live now and you can read about them on Civil Service Jobs. All our roles will be advertised on Civil Service Jobs, and you can set up an alert to let you know when we advertise new roles.

It is an enormous privilege to have the opportunity to do this work, although a privilege we all wish was not necessary. Roles in the SIA working on Martyn’s Law will make an important contribution to public safety through the effective regulation of premises and events. We are looking for a diverse range of people who can demonstrate excellent judgement, strong communication skills and experience of working in a regulatory environment. Our reach extends across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England so we’re building regional inspection teams. In addition to our office in London, we will soon have new premises in Manchester where our Martyn’s Law Notifications, Assessment and Casework team will be based. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more, please look at the advertised roles.

What’s next?

The pace and rate of work to establish our regulatory function is ever increasing. We are now seeking volunteers from the range of events and premises in scope of Martyn’s Law to help us to test the digital portal we are in the process of building. This is an opportunity to give feedback to the SIA prior to launch in Spring 2027, and to shape the way it regulates Martyn’s Law. Register your interest to help us test our online systems, receive updates on Martyn’s Law, or take part in future engagement opportunities.

We’re also benefitting from the help and support of other regulators who have been sharing their experience, as well as the generosity of those representing various premises and events organisations who have invited us to speak to their members. We welcome the goodwill of those who care about public safety and wish to help make Martyn’s Law regulation be as effective as possible.

Please look out for future opportunities to support the development of this work and help us where you can. The first step in this is responding to the section 12 statutory guidance consultation to help shape the final guidance. We look forward to hearing your views.