Question

To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker whether the fire drill evacuation of Parliament on 2 July 2026 included the committee corridors in addition to the chamber; and whether the London Fire Brigade attended.

The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The evacuation on the 2 July was a Palace-wide exercise involving all areas of the Palace, including the committee corridors. However, it was scheduled at a time when there was no whip on in either House and no select committees were meeting so the Palace was relatively quiet. The London Fire Brigade did not attend with appliances as they were aware that the event was a planned drill, however they did send an officer from their risk management team who came and observed. The Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate (CPFSI) attended.