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23 June 2026 - Fire Safety in Prisons - Oral evidence

Committee Justice and Home Affairs Committee
Inquiry Fire Safety in Prisons

Tuesday 23 June 2026

Start times: 10:30am (private) 10:30am (public)


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Justice and Home Affairs Committee holds third and fourth evidence sessions for their Fire Safety in Prisons inquiry

On Tuesday 23 June the Committee will hear first from the Prison Governors’ Association (PGA), followed by fire safety industry experts. Witnesses will be: Tom Wheatley and Mark Icke, President and Vice President of the PGA respectively; Alasdair Perry and Richard Cebreiro, Chief Executive and Technical Committee Chair of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA); and Derek Killaspy, Managing Director at Fireworks Fire Protection Ltd.

Purpose of the sessions

These are the third and fourth sessions examining the topic of Fire Safety in Prisons. The Committee will ask about fire safety risk management and infrastructure, current Governor autonomy, oversight and inspection mechanisms and the challenges and barriers in current equipment used in fire suppression and prevention.

Meeting details

At 10:30am: Oral evidence
Inquiry Fire Safety in Prisons
President at Prison Governors’ Association
Vice President at Prison Governors’ Association
At 11:30am: Oral evidence
Inquiry Fire Safety in Prisons
Chief Executive at British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA)
Technical Committee Chair at British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA)
Managing Director at Fireworks Fire Protection Ltd
At 12:30pm: Private discussion
Inquiry Fire Safety in Prisons

Possible questions:

  • How do prisons currently manage fire risk, and what happens when there is a fire?
  • What fire suppression equipment is used in prisons? What equipment would you like to see used?
  • What are the key challenges with fire safety equipment in the prison estate?
  • What are the main barriers to improving fire safety infrastructure across the prison estate?
  • With respect to fire safety, what are the main differences between public and private prisons?
  • What steps can be taken to reduce the number of fires deliberately started in prisons?

Location

Room 3, Palace of Westminster

How to attend