Member

Amendments 13 and 25 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, offer the Government an opportunity to apply something which has been lacking in some of our discussions—that is, an evidence-based approach to a threat of terrorism or how we respond to the possibility of a venue or an event being attacked by terrorists. Such an approach is very important, because Amendment 13 would allow someone responsible for premises or events to apply for an exemption, but they would have to show why their event should be exempt. Amendment 25 allows for variable thresholds based on a national threat level; surely as the threat level is different at any given time, whatever the size of the venue, it must have an impact on how we view what is a threat. These things are important.