To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to minimise the possibility of a fire sprinkler malfunction at (a) the British Library and (b) other places where items from the national collection are stored. (261692)

Extensive fire and flood prevention and protection measures are built into (a) British Library premises and (b) other places where items from the national collection are stored. The British Library and other places where items from the national collection are stored are aware of the risk to collections from a fire sprinkler malfunction and have accounted for this at design stage and in on-going procedures. In addition, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council has a National Security Adviser who can advise and carry out fire and security risk assessments.