Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison cell fires there were, broken down by institution, in each year since 2015.

The attached table shows the number of fire incidents in each prison in each year since 2016. Information about fire incidents before 2016 is not available, because the records, which were held locally, have been destroyed in line with our retention policy. In 2016, a new centralised national system for recording fire incidents was introduced across the prison estate.

The overwhelming majority of the cell fires in prisons are classified as small and are quickly dealt with by staff. All prisons have an Arson Reduction Strategy which includes measures for managing prisoners who are known to present a risk of fire setting: these measures include strategic cell location, and control of access to ignition sources and combustible materials. In 2024-25, H M Prison & Probation Service will introduce an ignition-free Safer Vape Pen to replace the existing product, which is the source of approximately 80 per cent of fires set.

All operational staff receive training in responding to fire incidents, including the use of specialist safety and firefighting equipment. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.