Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of national emergency alerts in raising public awareness about fire risks during periods of hot weather.

Fire and rescue services are fully aware of the growing risk of wildfires and, working with their Local Resilience Forum partners, are responsible for maintaining the necessary plans and capabilities required to manage that risk.

All Emergency Alerts are sent in conjunction with agencies or public bodies that are responding to emergencies. The decision to issue this alert was not taken lightly. It was made in direct cooperation with the National Fire Chiefs Council.

The alert was issued during a period where there were 43 active fires and 11 major incidents nationwide. It was sent to around 55 million mobile phones across England and Wales, providing advice on steps people could take to help prevent wildfires. It formed part of the Government's work with fire and rescue services and other partners to raise awareness of the heightened risk of wildfires. The Cabinet Office own the mechanisms to issue Emergency Alerts and will undergo their own reviews as and where appropriate.