National Campaign for Firework Safety


Parliament in 1990

House of Lords where stated, otherwise House of Commons



26 February 1990

Fireworks

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to put stricter controls over the purchase and use of fireworks ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Forth :
No. I believe that the right policy is to enforce rigorously the existing law against abusing fireworks, to educate the public to treat them with respect, and to check for safety any fireworks that do not comply with the new British standard.



21 March 1990

Firework Injuries

Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the figures of injuries caused by fireworks in 1989.

Mr. Forth : According to reports from hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland, 800 people required treatment for injuries caused by fireworks during the three weeks leading up to 5 November 1989 and the few days after. This represents a very welcome decrease of nearly 9 per cent. over 1988. Particularly encouraging were the sharp falls in serious injuries and casual incidents in the street, where our emphasis on rigorously enforcing the existing law on selling fireworks to the under-16s or misusing them in public seems to be bearing fruit. Also welcome is the fall in sparkler injuries as these tend to affect very young children and was an area where we put a lot of effort during last year's successful firework safety campaign. However, there is no room for complacency and we will be looking for a further reduction in injuries this year. The detailed breakdown for 1989 and the preceding four years is as follows :

 
   
 
 
   
 
     
 


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.




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