Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisons are equipped with (1) automatic water misting systems only, (2) manual handling water misting systems only, or (3) both automatic and manual handling water systems.

Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Upon arrival, all prisoners receive a comprehensive fire safety induction covering the actions to take in the event of a fire and the risks and consequences associated with fire-setting behaviour. The quality and effectiveness of the induction process are subject to quarterly audits to ensure compliance and consistency across the prison estate.

All prisons have an adequate level of fire suppression. In the closed prison estate, 11 prisons are equipped with both fixed automatic and manual water misting systems: four of these have automatic systems in all cells, and seven have automatic systems installed in some cells, with manual provision in the remainder. The other 101 closed prisons are equipped with manual water misting systems.

H M Prison & Probation Service’s technical standards require all new closed prisons and secure accommodation blocks to be fitted with fixed automatic water misting systems in prison cells.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of prisoner awareness and understanding of what to do when a fire occurs; and what steps they are taking to ensure prisoners are aware of what to do when fires occur.

Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Upon arrival, all prisoners receive a comprehensive fire safety induction covering the actions to take in the event of a fire and the risks and consequences associated with fire-setting behaviour. The quality and effectiveness of the induction process are subject to quarterly audits to ensure compliance and consistency across the prison estate.

All prisons have an adequate level of fire suppression. In the closed prison estate, 11 prisons are equipped with both fixed automatic and manual water misting systems: four of these have automatic systems in all cells, and seven have automatic systems installed in some cells, with manual provision in the remainder. The other 101 closed prisons are equipped with manual water misting systems.

H M Prison & Probation Service’s technical standards require all new closed prisons and secure accommodation blocks to be fitted with fixed automatic water misting systems in prison cells.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following delays in recent years in the recruitment and appointment process for inspectorate and regulatory roles leading to (1) the extension of the contract for the current HM Chief Inspector for Prisons to 2027, and (2) the appointment of interim post holders for the Independent Chief Inspector for Borders and Immigration in 2024–25, the Independent Prevent Commissioner in 2025–26, and HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and HM Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services in 2026, what assessment they have made of the Home Office and Ministry of Justice appointment processes for such roles in each of the last five years; what comparison they have made with similar processes in other departments; and what steps they are taking to improve such processes.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The process for making appointments and extensions to regulated public appointments is set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. Departments’ adherence to the process is regulated by the Independent Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Commissioner publishes an annual report that includes commentary on the timeliness of public appointment processes. Data on campaign duration and overall performance across departments is also published in the annual Public Appointments Data Report, published by the Cabinet Office.

The Governance Code on Public Appointments was updated in October 2025 and introduced new measures to enable ministers to make appointments more quickly.

Found: Catherine McKinnell MP Minister of State for Justice MoJ ref: SUB137739 The Rt Hon the Lord Foster of Bath

Found: The Right Honourable Alex Norris MP Lord Chancellor & Secretary of State for Justice LORD FOSTER OF BATH

Found: Anderson of Ipswich Lord Bach Baroness Berridge Baroness Buscombe Lord Dubs Lord Empey Lord Foster of Bath

Found: Lord Foster of Bath Chair, Justice and Home Affairs Committee House of Lords London SW1A 0AA

Found: State for Policing and Crime 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF www.gov.uk/home Lord Foster of Bath

Found: July 2026 Present: Lord Bach Baroness Berridge Baroness Buscombe Lord Dubs Lord Empey Lord Foster of Bath

Found: : Support for jurors Wednesday 2 September 2026 10.30 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Foster of Bath

Found: The Right Honourable Alex Norris MP Lord Chancellor & Secretary of State for Justice Lord Foster of Bath

Found: on ‘youth justice’, HC Hansard, 18 May 2026, cols 250–65 • Ministry of Justice, ‘Letter to Lord Foster of Bath

The Justice and Home Affairs Committee is undertaking a short investigation into support for jurors in England and Wales, focusing on the health and mental health impact of the experience of being a juror.