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 potential merits of requiring the installation and retrofitting of sprinklers in (a) all buildings regularly used by vulnerable people and (b) warehouses.

Building owners are required to ensure that existing care home buildings or warehouses have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. As part of this process, some owners may choose to retrofit sprinklers as part of their overall fire strategy, while others may opt for alternative measures. Recent changes to the Building Safety Act 2022 defined new roles and responsibilities all stakeholders involved in a construction project, including building owners. This ensures that safety is prioritized throughout the lifecycle of a building. Retrofitting sprinklers is not always the best option, and other fire safety measures might be more appropriate for specific buildings.