Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had discussions with counter-terrorism police on the potential impact of full-face coverings in public settings on national security.

The Home Office has regular and routine discussions with counter-terrorism policing on a wide range of national security issues.

The Crime and Policing Bill contains a new criminal offence of wearing, or otherwise using, an item that conceals identity in an area designated by police due to the risk of criminal activity taking place at protests. This will enable the police to put a stop to individuals hiding behind masks to avoid conviction for criminal activity at protests.