I'd like to start by thanking the organisers of this Conference for giving me the opportunity to speak here today in particular Steve Rowe and Moss Haden who have done so much to raise this issue at the highest levels of government.

I've been asked to open up by discussing the concerns of the public. And that's exactly what they are- genuine public concerns about fireworks being a nuisance and being misused. I am going to lend heavily on the views of my constituents in West Bromwich when I outline some of the changes I would like to see in legislation.

There is no doubt that we live in a more insecure world. The downside of globalisation leaves many people insecure in the workplace. The post-cold war rumblings we see all too vividly today, have left people more worried about the relationship between nation states. Anti-social behaviour and petty crime have left people more insecure in their homes and communities. We're all more insecure.

It leaves us all in a dilemma when it comes to sketching out public policy.

The debate we are having about fireworks today is not unique. It mirrors others we are having in West Bromwich be it ID cards, air guns and truancy to name but a few. It is part of the rights and responsibilities debate started by the PM nearly eight years ago.

If it was down to my constituents I tell you where they would like government policy to fall on the rights and responsibilities spectrum. They would call for a moratorium on new rights until we have clearly played "catch up" with people living up to their responsibilities.

Well why have I opened up with this piece of new-labouresque social analysis at a conference on fireworks? Well it's because - and I am aiming my comments at the industry representatives when I say this - if we do not act swiftly to regulate and enforce controls on fireworks then the misuse will increase, injuries will keep growing and the public, stretched to breaking point will call for an all out ban on fireworks.

But let me make it absolutely clear at the outset that I'm not anti-fireworks. I am certainly not calling for a total ban, and I don't think most people would like to see such a ban at the moment.

One of my constituents, a Mrs McCormack, expressed a common view- and one which I agree with: "I am not a killjoy and I don't want bonfire night banned altogether, but I feel there should be some restrictions on the type of fireworks available for garden use and a time limit of up to 9pm at night for legally setting them off. I cannot imagine how some elderly people cope during this time."

Nor is this a battle against the fireworks industry or people enjoying themselves. Far from it, the Government must continue to work closely with the industry, trading standards, local authorities, fireworks safety groups and all the other organisations represented today.

The UK fireworks industry has always put safety first- working with the DTI on advertising campaigns in October and November.

Last autumn's national safety campaign was particularly hard-hitting. It's slogan, 'fool with fireworks and bang goes your image' rightly highlighted the injuries teenagers have suffered from fireworks misuse.

And it's a credit to the industry that, since the beginning of the year, there has been a voluntary ban on the sale of air bombs. These cheap 'pocket money' fireworks caused up to a fifth of all fireworks accidents last year.

And I hope that, after consultation, regulations could be introduced so that this ban could be enforced in law under the 1987 Consumer Protection Act. After all, much of the current legislation covering fireworks started off as voluntary initiatives from the industry itself.

So we all want to enjoy fireworks safely.

Fireworks on bonfire night are an integral part of life for millions of people in this country. And fireworks are now often seen at weddings and New Year's Eve celebrations, and at religious or other cultural celebrations.

In my own constituency in West Bromwich, I've seen fireworks used to great effect during the Diwali celebrations, or on public holidays like last year's Golden Jubilee. And Sandwell Council's organised fireworks displays each November are some of the best I've ever seen.

On all these occasions, the vast majority of fireworks are let off safely and with the utmost consideration for residents of the local community. Used in this way, watching fireworks can be a safe and rewarding experience- enjoyable for everyone.

But as we all know there's a flip-side to this coin.

Firework misuse has become a real problem in many areas, not least in the West Midlands and West Bromwich.

The number of people injured by fireworks has increased.

In 2001, there was a 40% rise in the number of casualties caused by fireworks.

Statistics from the Department of Trade and Industry show that the total number of people hurt during the bonfire celebrations that year topped 1,362.

The number of injuries among young teenagers rose by more than 50 per cent last year to 787 - the biggest increase for at least seven years.

My post bag is full of letters, and my inbox full of e-mails, from constituents who are sick and tired of the misery caused by anti-social misuse of fireworks.

The abuse of fireworks results in anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and, as police in Oldham, Manchester and Bradford and have found, their conversion into weapons.

And the noise pollution they cause is not the occasional and tolerable inconvenience that it once was, but an ever-increasing source of fear and anxiety, especially to vulnerable people in society.

Such distress is not just confined to people but extends to domestic pets- some of which have had to be put down as a result- as well as farm animals and wildlife.

Many animal lovers and organisations like the RSPCA and COFFAW the Control of Fireworks for Animal Welfare campaign want to see tighter restrictions.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association says that each year three guide dogs are spooked by fireworks to the extent that they have to actually be retired and hundreds of dogs have to be sedated.

In communities like mine, people and pets alike are subjected to night after night of disruption by the continuous use of loud fireworks. One constituent of mine even compared it to living in a battlefield.

A Mrs Forrester said: "Many people here in Wednesbury, especially pensioners, are frustrated by the continual sale of firework bangers, which are like bombs going off. Many of the people with dogs and cats are reduced to nervous wrecks."

"Four nights after the so called bonfire night, on November 9th, as most of us were settling down to watch our favourite programmes on television, the only pleasure most of us have, the bangers started again, continually till after 11pm."

Another constituent, Mr Phillips, the owner of the Martin's of Wednesbury fish and chip shop, recently wrote: "Talking to my customers and your voters the general feeling is that people are fed up with loud bangs going off day and night, from the beginning of October to the New Year. Yobs are using fireworks in a dangerous manner which is inflicting suffering on both humans and animals."

He goes on to support the clamp down on the dangerous misuse of fireworks which a growing number of my colleagues in Parliament are now involved in.

He then adds: "I dare say some people would say that this is the nanny state taking away civil liberties again. But if the loss of some liberty means not getting a rocket hit at me then I can put up with that."

I'm sure everyone here will have sympathy with my local chippy - just one out of some 2,000 local residents who have signed my campaign petition calling for tougher regulations on how, when and to whom we sell fireworks.

This formed part of a 250,000 signature petition which some 40 MPs delivered to Downing Street last October. And the support has continued to flood in.

Now it seems that the Government is beginning to listen. They've recognised that there is a real problem and that we need to take action.

In October a package of measures was announced by the Trade & Industry Minister Melanie Johnson.

As well as the voluntary ban on air bombs, there will be

· a crackdown on illegal markets in fireworks with improved co-ordination of intelligence between Customs & Excise, the Health & Safety Executive and Trading Standards Departments; I look forward to hearing your practical solutions to how we achieve this.

· a new drive to encourage local councils to use their powers to curb the problem of noise and nuisance caused by fireworks;

· and a pilot scheme of fixed penalty notices of £40 in four areas for over 18s caught throwing fireworks in the street.
I will be watching closely to see how well these pilots have worked- and if they can be extended to other parts of the country, including my own borough of Sandwell.

But more significantly, the Government gave its backing to a Private Member's Bill published by my backbench colleague Bill Tynan last week. This means that there will be legislation on fireworks passed this year. The views and ideas you express here today will be fed into the policy making process. I want to make sure that your practical ideas and experiences are reflected in the new legislation.

Much of the Control of Fireworks Bill addresses the problems that have been caused by current legislation.

In many shops, fireworks would only be sold for three weeks around November 5th.

I'm sure that ten years ago, fireworks were let off for a couple of weeks either side of bonfire night and maybe on New Year's Eve.

As a Mrs Heath from Warley wrote, "The fireworks this year have been horrendous. They are being let off weeks before bonfire night and continue until weeks, or moths, after. It has now gone beyond all reason."

Last year, though, I heard my first firework in July. For months before and after bonfire night, the inner cities are alive with the sound of fireworks.

I've even heard fireworks being let off during the daytime. You can't even see the explosion when it's daylight, but yet people still let fireworks off.

Sales would be restricted to packs costing at least £10. Fireworks are not toys. And this move would help to stop teenagers from using them as such, by making them less affordable.

At the moment, it is possible to walk into a shop and buy single, high-powered fireworks. Such fireworks are only ever going to be let off on their own, and not as part of an organised display.

It's right that fireworks, and particularly the biggest fireworks on sale, should only be available to buy as part of a variety pack.

A minimum price would act as a disincentive to anyone who might want to buy a pack simply to get their hands on one of the more powerful fireworks.

The Bill would also make the noisiest fireworks illegal and ban the use of fireworks late at night, addressing the concerns of many in my constituency.

I don't think it's particularly unfair to limit the acceptable level of noise that a firework makes.

Some modern fireworks are incredibly loud, and sound like a military explosion. For many pensioners sitting alone in their houses, and for the millions of pet-owners in this country, such loud noises merely cause unnecessary anguish.

I can honestly say that in late September of 2001 I thought the House of Commons was under attack when a particularly loud impromptu display of fireworks began south of the River Thames.

The Bill would impose stricter rules on the training of people who give professional displays.

And people wanting fireworks for festivals such as New Year's Eve or weddings will have to go to a retailer with a higher licence.
But as well as this we need to make the existing system work better and enforce existing legislation much better. We've all seen groups of kids messing about with fireworks, despite the fact that they're not old enough to buy them.

And at the moment, for just £13.20, anyone in this room can buy an annual licence to store fireworks. Your local authority would not be able to refuse your application, and nor could they revoke it once it had been issued.

Neither could your local Fire Authority. Does this sound right? It certainly
doesn't to me.

And that's assuming you actually abide by the law and get yourself a license. Every year, thousands of fireworks are illegally brought into this country, and stored in unsuitable, unlicensed premises.

In fact, I was amazed to find that around 9% of fireworks which come into this country have no official records. No-one knows where they've come from. So we do need more resources for trading standards, customs and health and safety to deal with this.

And we need a system which allows the authorities to monitor the progress of fireworks right from their place of origin to the point of sale.

Beyond the Bill I would like to see more cross-department collaboration in dealing with fireworks.

If insurance companies were to work with hospitals, we could get a much better idea of exactly how many people are injured every year in firework-related accidents.

Similarly, the police and the fire service could merge their data to produce more accurate figures of exactly how much property damage is caused by fireworks.

I also think it would be a good idea for the emergency services to do more work with schoolchildren to explain exactly what problems arise from firework misuse.

Some of these kids know what the risks are, but others genuinely seem to think it's all harmless fun. If community liaison projects were used to show them exactly how damaging fireworks can be, then maybe we'd see a decline in this kind of behaviour.

New legislation and tighter enforcement of exiting law is also the way forward. In this day and age, it's not enough to assume that common sense alone will deter people from setting fireworks off when it's broad daylight, because there's always some idiot that does!

There are people who think that letting off fireworks all over the place, or letting off great big air-bombs is all just harmless fun, but I'd disagree.

I know that I might sound like I've got a bee in my bonnet about this, but that's because I have.

Certainly in my constituency, and in many other parts of the country, there's a real feeling of dissatisfaction with the way in which firework misuse has gone from being relatively rare, to being a familiar part of life.

It's not just the elderly or pet-owners who are concerned.

There are whole communities in West Bromwich who are sick and tired of getting home from work only to be kept awake by absurdly loud fireworks, night after night, week after week throughout the winter months.

And it's not in anyone's interests for this to continue, nor for fireworks themselves to get a bad name. That would only strengthen the case of those who argue for a complete ban.

So these are the public concerns and the response from a backbench constituency MP.

Today's Conference symbolises the approach we need- safety campaigners, the fire service and trading standards working together with the industry and retailers and councils

Working together to make fireworks as safe and enjoyable as we all want them to be.
(Tom Watson has spoke on several occasions regarding fireworks. 
They can be seen on www.tomatwestbrom.com)


Chris Case, Station Commander, Merseyside Fire Service was next to speak.  His subject