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Written question asked by Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 August 2026. It was answered by Lord Lemos (Labour) on Monday, 3 August 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisons: Fire Extinguishers

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisons are equipped with (1) automatic water misting systems only, (2) manual handling water misting systems only, or (3) both automatic and manual handling water systems.

Answer

Upon arrival, all prisoners receive a comprehensive fire safety induction covering the actions to take in the event of a fire and the risks and consequences associated with fire-setting behaviour. The quality and effectiveness of the induction process are subject to quarterly audits to ensure compliance and consistency across the prison estate.

All prisons have an adequate level of fire suppression. In the closed prison estate, 11 prisons are equipped with both fixed automatic and manual water misting systems: four of these have automatic systems in all cells, and seven have automatic systems installed in some cells, with manual provision in the remainder. The other 101 closed prisons are equipped with manual water misting systems.

H M Prison & Probation Service’s technical standards require all new closed prisons and secure accommodation blocks to be fitted with fixed automatic water misting systems in prison cells.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2514
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Fire extinguishers Prisons
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk