It is important to note that every Emergency Alert is carefully coordinated with responding public bodies and agencies. Each request is evaluated by the Cabinet Office on a rigorous, case-by-case basis to ensure it is necessary for public safety.

The Cabinet Office carries out an internal review of every activation and test of the system. We are committed to learning from this experience and are currently reviewing the thresholds and operational protocols for future alerts to ensure they remain a proportionate and effective tool for preserving life. The National Fire Chiefs Council observed a decrease in wildfire responses in the 72 hours following the broadcast, suggesting the alert played a vital role in preventing further incidents.

Work to assess the cost and time implications of the fire remains ongoing and must be allowed to conclude before a full and accurate picture can be formed.

The Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025 reported £217 million as an early estimate in relation to the fire at the Devonshire Dock Hall in Barrow-in-Furness. This figure included initial clean-up costs after the fire and an estimate for future consequential losses.

Following every activation of the Emergency Alert system, the Cabinet Office carries out an internal evaluation with key stakeholders. After the 14th August, the Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council noted that the Emergency Alert heightened public awareness of the risks affecting firefighters. It was reported that there was a reduction in the number of wildfires in the 72 hours following the Emergency Alert.

The Cabinet Office is committed to continuously improving this valuable service to keep people safe. The government remains ready to deploy the capability at short-notice in response to risks that pose a danger to life, including but not limited to flooding, severe weather and wildfires.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that development proposals should be appropriate for their location, taking into account the likely effects (including cumulative effects) of pollution on health, living conditions and the natural environment, whether these effects are on or off-site. Proposals should not give rise to, or contribute to, unacceptable levels of noise, water, or other forms of pollution on or beyond the site. Development proposals should also consider the environmental qualities of land proposed for development, including landscape character and the natural beauty of the countryside, and identify opportunities for those qualities to be conserved or enhanced.

Furthermore, the NPPF is also clear that development proposals should anticipate and address possible malicious threats and other hazards (whether natural or man-made) in relation to uses which could pose a potential hazard to the surrounding area. Planning Practice Guidance also encourages developers and local planning authorities to engage with their local Fire and Rescue Services early on to identify potential mitigations in the event of an incident, and have these views taken into account during determination of the application.

Similarly, data centres that are consented via the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime will be bound by the relevant national planning policy and environmental protections. The Government is preparing a new National Policy Statement for data centres which, once designated, will set out the relevant national policy framework for decision-making on data centre projects that proceed through the regime.

The application of these various policies will be case-specific, and it is for decision-makers to assess in the first instance what impact an AI data centre or battery storage facility may have.

Information on fires caused by barbecues is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (table FIRE0602) and can be filtered by Fire and Rescue Authority area, including Dorset. Data on fires specifically caused by disposable barbecues is not included, but data collection is being improved through the Fire and Rescue Data Platform.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question 24227 on the 8 September 2026.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-08-28/24772

Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for assessing and planning for wildfire risk locally through their Community Risk Management Plans and work with other responders to ensure appropriate preparedness.

However, to strengthen resilience more broadly, MHCLG and Defra have established joint governance arrangements with partners across government and the resilience sector to drive coordinated action on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This work is helping to inform the development of a cross-government Wildfire Action Plan to improve resilience over the short, medium and long term.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) collects information on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England.

The table below shows the number of fires attended by Fire and Rescue Services in England in buildings recorded as churches, chapels or cathedrals in each of the last five financial years.

The number of fires attended in churches, chapels and cathedrals has fluctuated over the last five years. While there were 80 such fires in in 2025/26, compared with 72 in 2021/22, the highest number of incidents during this period was recorded in 2022/23, when Fire and Rescue Services attended 94 fires in churches, chapels and cathedrals.

The figures are derived from the Department's Incident Level Datasets (ILDs), which are published as part of the Fire Statistics collection. Specifically, the analysis is based on the Other Building Fires dataset and identifies incidents where the buildingtype variable is recorded as "Church / Chapel / Cathedral".

Further information on fire incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services is available at:

Fire statistics collection

Fire statistics data tables

Fire statistics incident level datasets

Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for assessing and planning for wildfire risk locally through their Community Risk Management Plans and work with other responders to ensure appropriate preparedness. National resilience arrangements provide additional support to Fire and Rescue Services, including through mutual aid and the deployment of specialist national assets.

MHCLG has recently announced a £97 million investment to upgrade National Resilience assets and equipment. Part of this funding includes a pilot national wildfire response capability with specialist firefighters, equipment and training positioned across England to support Fire and Rescue Services during major incidents.

The Prime Minister announced that he will chair a Wildfire Summit in the autumn, which will provide an opportunity to continue to consider how our national response capabilities, including aerial assets, can be strengthened, including through collaboration across the UK.

Following the devastating wildfires this summer, the Prime Minister has committed to holding a Wildfire Summit later this year. The summit will bring together a range of partners to turn the lessons of the exceptional wildfire and extreme heat events of 2026 into practical action.

We recognise that clear public information helps stop wildfires starting and helps people protect themselves and their property. We are making wildfire advice more visible, including through social media during high-risk periods, the Cabinet Office Prepare website, the Fire Kills campaign and StayWise, the NFCC-led education platform. We will consider what more we can do as part of the wildfire summit.

We recognise that clear public information helps stop wildfires starting and helps people protect themselves and their property. We are making wildfire advice more visible, including through social media during high-risk periods, the Cabinet Office Prepare website and through educational resources made freely available on the online StayWise platform as the educational arm of the Department’s Fire Kills campaign.

As part of the upcoming Wildfire Summit and the Acton Plan being developed, we will consider what more we can do to drive improvements across wildfire as a risk.

No assessment has been made of levels of public awareness of the risk of wildfires posed by litter, including discarded glass bottles. Government departments and agencies are working together on communications to raise public awareness of the fire risks associated with discarded glass bottles and disposable barbecues. This includes social media content, using influencer networks to extend online reach, and securing broadcast interviews for Government spokespeople to explain wildfire risks and what the public can do.

In Wales, the alert was sent in Welsh followed by English in order to fulfil our legal responsibilities under the Welsh Language Act 1993.

The planning and activation of the Emergency Alert capability on 14 August was issued at no cost to the taxpayer.

An initial scoping review will be reported on in the Environmental Improvement Plan’s annual progress report (APR) in 2027.

Current evidence supports the approach that peatland restoration, including rewetting and the restoration of hydrological function, can strengthen wildfire resilience by increasing moisture levels, reducing fuel loads and supporting the recovery of peat-forming vegetation such as Sphagnum mosses.

Land managers have an important role in assessing and managing wildfire risk. Defra is supporting land managers to manage risk and put in place proportionate wildfire management plans, reflecting local risks and circumstances. These plans may include considerations of risk, control measures and monitoring mechanisms.

Defra officials are working with ALBs to ensure an aligned and coherent approach to wildfire policy. Defra’s agencies have a central role in resilience and preparedness, and officials in Defra’s agencies are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Defra to ensure an aligned and coherent approach to wildfire policy. The Forestry Commission supports wildfire resilience through forest and land management, risk assessment and operational preparedness, and Natural England provides evidence-based advice on environmental impacts, habitat management and nature recovery, including burning licence applications.

The Government is investing approximately £97m under the New Dimensions 2 programme to uplift and replace national resilience assets. This is the largest scale upgrade of these assets in almost twenty years.

This investment includes a pilot national wildfire response capability with specialist firefighters, equipment and training positioned across England to support fire and rescue services during major incidents.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) funds the national resilience lead authority in Merseyside to deliver a range of services, including capability assurance, to ensure National Resilience Capabilities operate effectively across the country.