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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department holds up-to-date data on the number of fires linked to (a) disposable and (b) single-use barbecues.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available on gov.uk here.

Data collected through the Incident Recording System (IRS) does include data on whether primary fire incidents attended were caused by barbecues. However, it does not include data on the type of barbecue, for example if it was disposable or single-use.

In the latest statistics published on cause of fire, for year ending March 2024, of 46,135 accidental primary fires, 242 were started by barbecues.

We are reviewing the IRS, and the data it collects, and considering what categories to record in the future.