Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the current threat level in the UK; and if she will make a statement on how, and over what period, she intends to reduce that threat level.

The threat to the UK from international terrorism is SEVERE, reflecting developments in Syria and Iraq. We are taking action against ISIL overseas. Almost 800 UK personnel are directly contributing to the anti-ISIL coalition, including through training for security forces, air support and work to restrict ISIL’s funding and networks. The Prime Minister recently announced an additional 125 troops to join those already training Iraqi Security Forces. The UK has also provided £800 million to the humanitarian relief effort in Syria. We are also tackling the threat at home, including through £130m of additional Counter Terrorism funding announced in November to tackle the threat from Syria and Iraq. During the last financial year, over three hundred people were detained on suspicion of terrorism offences. The police are securing the removal from the internet of around 1,000 pieces of unlawful terrorist-related content every week.

The Counter Terrorism and Security Act came into force earlier this year and included new powers to disrupt the ability of people to travel abroad to engage in terrorism-related activity and to control their return to the UK. We will also introduce an Investigatory Powers bill which will ensure that our legislation governing this work is modern and fit for purpose. We are continuing to work to stop people being drawn into terrorism through our Prevent work. This includes building partnerships with communities, as well as working with local authorities, schools and prisons, all of whom are now subject to a statutory duty requiring them to have regard to preventing people being drawn into terrorism.