Fireworks
Mr. Nicholas
Bennett : To ask the Secretary of
State for Trade and Industry whether he
will consider amending the law to raise
the age at which an individual can
purchase fireworks from 16 years to 18
years.
Mr. Forth : No. A person of 16 is
considered old enough to work full time
and at 17 to drive a car. It would not
therefore be practical to raise the
minimum age for purchasing fireworks from
16 to 18
29 October 1990
Written Answers
to Questions
Monday 29
October 1990
TRANSPORT
Vibroplant,
Peterborough
Mr. Burns :
To ask the Secretary of State for
Transport when the report on the
explosives incident at Vibroplant,
Peterborough, will be published ; and if
he will make a statement on the current
position.
Mr. Chope : The report by the Health
and Safety Executive of its investigation
into the explosion on 22 March 1989 is
published today. A copy of the report has
been placed in the Library.
The HSE investigation into the incident
concluded that the source of the fire and
cause of the resulting explosion was a
box of Cerium fusehead combs in transit
to a local fireworks manufacturer. The
combs were in unauthorised and unsafe
packaging. On 11 April 1990, the company
operating the vehicle was fined £250,000
at Peterborough Crown court.
In line with the undertaking given at the
time by my hon. Friend the Member for
Eltham (Mr. Bottomley) the Health and
Safety Commission's advisory committee on
dangerous substances sub-committee
considering the major hazard aspects of
the transport of dangerous substances
will study the report both for its
general relevance to transport questions
and its specific relevance to the safe
transport of explosives.
1 November 1990
Fireworks
Mr. Pendry :
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade
and Industry what measures his Department
is taking to promote safety at fireworks
events and at private bonfire parties ;
what was the number of injuries involving
fireworks for each of the past five years
; how much his Department will spend on
publicity to promote firework safety this
year ; and how much was spent on
publicity to promote firework safety for
each of the past five years.
Mr. Redwood : The Government have
phased out the more hazardous types of
firework, approved the British standard
for the performance and labelling of
fireworks, strengthened the legislation
against the abuse of fireworks and mount
an annual firework safety campaign to
persuade the public to treat fireworks
with care. Figures for injuries were
published in the Official Report on 21
March 1990, at columns 614-16. Each year
we spend some £75,000 on publicity and
the industry spends a similar amount.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary
of State for Trade and Industry what is
his Department's budget for the current
firework safety campaign ; and if he will
make a statement.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 30
October 1990] : My
Department is spending some £75,000 on
this year's firework safety campaign, but
we hope that this will attract as it did
last year, several hundred thousand
pounds' worth of media time as a result.
Mr. Gardiner : To ask the Secretary
of State for Trade and Industry if he
will review the law on fireworks, with a
view to restricting disturbance to
individuals and terror to pets over
several weeks prior to 5 November.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 30
October 1990] : My
Department keeps the law on fireworks
under review. The present policy of
restricting their sale to three weeks
before 5 November and one week after,
together with the rigorous enforcement of
the law preventing the sale of fireworks
to the under 16-year-olds and the
throwing of fireworks about in the street
and other public places, is designed to
minimise disturbance to individuals and
pets.
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of
State for Trade and Industry if he has
any plans to seek to amend legislation
relating to the use of fireworks to cover
fireworks and fireworks displays other
than in the period around 5 November.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 31
October 1990] : There is a
voluntary agreement to restrict the sale
of fireworks for the four weeks around 5
November, a law against selling fireworks
to under-16s and against letting them off
in the street. This provides a framework
of protection, but my Department is
always prepared to look at suggestions
for improving firework safety.
16 November 1990
Firework
Displays
Mr. Ieuan Wyn
Jones : To ask the Secretary of State
for Trade and Industry what information
he has as to the number of public and
semi-public firework displays held on and
around 5 November for each of the last 10
years.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12
November 1990] :
Information as to the number of public
and semi-public firework displays are not
kept by my Department.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
what information he has as to the number
of fireworks-related injuries sustained
by (a) display organisers and (b)
bystanders on and around 5 November for
each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12
November 1990] : The
figures for overall injuries at displays
were published in the Official Report at
columns 613-16 on 21 March 1990, but
injuries to display organisers and
bystanders are not separately identified.
However, the Government encourage
organised firework displays as a
generally safe way for the public to
enjoy fireworks.
19 December 1990
TRADE AND
INDUSTRY
Fireworks
Mr. Summerson :
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade
and Industry if he will make inquiries of
those European countries which have
national training schemes for organisers
of public firework displays with a view
to setting up such a scheme in the United
Kingdom.
Mr. Leigh : To require organisers of
public firework displays to be formally
trained would discourage many smaller
local displays which I want to encourage
the public to attend on safety grounds.
However, a large manufacturer of
fireworks already offers a voluntary
training scheme, which I would encourage
organisers to attend.
Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary
of State for Trade and Industry if he
will take steps to ensure that category 3
and 4 fireworks can be bought only from
licensed outlets.
Mr. Leigh : By voluntary agreement,
category 4 fireworks are not sold through
retail outlets. Also, my Department has
asked the industry not to sell through
retail outlets those category 3 fireworks
which require a safe distance of a full
25 m because they are likely to be too
powerful for the average back garden.
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary
of State for Trade and Industry whether
he will make a statement on the operation
of the 1975 fireworks code ; and if he
has any plans to strengthen the voluntary
agreement not to sell fireworks until
three weeks before 5 November.
Mr. Leigh : I am satisfied on the
basis of the recent decline in the number
of firework accidents that the existing
fireworks code and the voluntary
agreement on the period of retail sale of
fireworks are proving to be adequate.
Return to
Parliament Site
Go to Menu Page
|
