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National Campaign
for Firework Safety
Parliament in
1994
Houses of Lords
where stated, otherwise House of Commons
2 February 1994
Pyrotechnic
Articles
Mr. Nigel
Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of
State for Employment which EC legislation
affects the issue of import licences for
pyrotechnic articles.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding
answer 1 February 1994] :
To avoid barriers to trade, EC directive
93/15/EEC on explosives for civil uses
required the removal of import licensing
for those explosives within its scope. It
was implemented in Great Britain by the
Placing on the Market and Supervision of
Transfers of Explosives Regulations 1993
which removed import licence controls for
all explosives including pyrotechnic
articles.
The new regulations require explosives,
including all pyrotechnic articles,
supplied in the United Kingdom whatever
their place of manufacture to be
authorised by the Health and Safety
Executive, and in the case of fireworks,
compliance with British Standard 7114 or
an equivalent standard. The Government
believe that these new provisions will
effectively maintain safety standards.
3 February 1994
Fireworks
Mr. Nigel
Griffiths : To ask the President of
the Board of Trade what representations
he has had from the British Standards
Institute on the abolition of import
licences for fireworks.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer
1 February 1994] : My
right hon. Friend the President of the
Board of Trade has had no representations
from the British Standards Institution
relating to abolition of import licences
for fireworks.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the
President of the Board of Trade (1) what
further representations he has had from
the British Pyrotechnists Association on
his proposals to abolish import licences
for fireworks with particular reference
to category 4 ;
(2) if he will make it his policy to
amend the Consumer Protection Act 1987 to
exclude category 4 fireworks from retail
sales.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer
1 February 1994] : On 27
January the British Pyrotechnists
Association met my noble Friend Lord
Strathclyde, the Minister for Consumer
Affairs and Small Firms, to discuss the
position of category 4 fireworks under
the Consumer Protection Act 1987
following the recent changes by the
Health and Safety Executive to the
legislation relating to the import of
fireworks.
The powers available in sections 10 and
13 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987
are adequate to deal with the sale of
category devices to the general public.
The association has, however, promised to
put forward suggestions for reinforcing
the present arrangements for limiting the
availability of category 4 fireworks to
members of the general public and these
will be considered.
22 February 1994
EMPLOYMENT
Fireworks
Mr. Barry Jones
: To ask the Secretary of State for
Employment what is his policy on the
importation of fireworks.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Imported
fireworks supplied in the United Kingdom
must meet the same safety standards as
those which are manufactured in the
United Kingdom.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the
Secretary of State for Employment what is
the estimated value of fireworks imported
into the United Kingdom annually for each
year since 1990 ; and if he will make a
statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information
requested is not available.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the
Secretary of State for Employment what
representations he has received
concerning the importation of dangerous
fireworks into the United Kingdom.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I have received
representations from several sources
expressing concern that a reduction in
safety standards may result from the
removal of import licensing for fireworks
following the creation of the European
single market. I have been given
assurances by the Health and Safety
Executive that controls are being
maintained by the restrictions on supply
introduced by the Placing on the Market
and Supervision of Transfers of
Explosives Regulations 1993.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the
Secretary of State for Employment what
measures he proposes to prevent the
importation into the United Kingdom of
fireworks that are dangerous to users and
spectators or likely to be a fire hazard.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Following the
establishment of the single European
market, import licence controls on all
explosives, including fireworks were
removed on 1 December 1993. These
controls were replaced by a requirement
under the Placing on the Market and
Supervision of Transfers of Explosives
Regulations 1993 for explosives supplied
in the United Kingdom whatever their
origin, to be authorised by the Health
and Safety Executive. In the case of
fireworks, this requires compliance with
British standard 7114 or an equivalent
standard.
20 April 1994
Fireworks
Mr. Matthew
Banks : To ask the President of the
Board of Trade how many firework-related
injuries were referred to hospitals in
the period around 5 November 1993.
Mr. McLoughlin : According to reports
from accident and emergency units in
hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland,
1,058 people required treatment for
injuries caused by fireworks, an increase
of 12 per cent. over the total number of
injuries reported in 1992. A breakdown of
the figures for 1993 and for the previous
four years by region, type of injury and
kind of firework involved is being placed
today in the Libraries of both Houses of
Parliament. Virtually half the injuries
were due to illegal misuse of fireworks
in the streets or public places--338--and
to sparklers- -189. Injuries in the 16 to
20-year age group were 12 per cent. lower
than in 1992. Notwithstanding annual
average sales of 100 million fireworks, I
remain concerned at the number of
firework injuries.
My Department is in touch with
representatives of the fireworks industry
and of enforcement authorities to discuss
ways in which firework injuries can be
reduced.
21 April 1994
Mr. Paul Flynn
(Newport, West) : When may we debate
early-day motion 1070 ?
[ That this House notes with concern that
blinkered ideology and the privatisation
of last year's firework safety campaign
has contributed to a rise in the number
of injuries to over 1,000, a 20 year high
; notes that the Government ignored
repeated warnings from safety experts and
others that the privatised campaign would
be a disaster ; notes that when civil
servants ran the safety campaign firework
injuries were less than 1,000 ; notes
that the Government gave the contract to
a French company subsidiary, Euro RSCG,
and doubled the budget previously
administered by civil servants to £160,000
; notes that the Minister cancelled the
key firework safety booklet, Safer
Displays, against the advice of civil
servants and to the consternation of
Britain's fire chiefs ; notes that the
fire posters produced by Euro RSCG were
so poor that fire departments refused to
circulate them and that television
advertisements were so ineffective that
they were cancelled ; calls on Euro RSCG
to return the fee they received from the
DTI and compensate the victims of
firework injuries ; requests the National
Audit Office and the Committee of Public
Accounts to investigate how this campaign
came to be privatised and why the
spending of public money was so
ineffective, and to make recommendations
to ensure that future firework safety
campaigns are run effectively by
experienced civil servants and fire
safety experts ; and regrets that
Ministers are seeking to abolish the
licensing of imported fireworks, thus
putting the public at risk from
potentially dangerous category 4
fireworks. ] ?
It describes the calamity of the
privatisation of the firework safety
campaign, which resulted in a double cost
to that campaign by a foreign company. It
produced material that was unusable and
the result was the greatest number of
fireworks casualties for 20 years. May we
debate the Government's privatisation
binge and decide that it has now come to
an end, that they are scraping the bottom
of the barrel, and that there is no way
in which organisations such as Companies
House, the Patent Office, the Accounts
Services Agency and the Passport Office
in my constituency can be sensibly
privatised ?
Mr. Newton : I think that the hon.
Gentleman was straining to get from the
point with which he started to the point
with which he finished, and I do not
accept any general conclusion that he
seeks to draw.
22 April 1994
Firework
Injuries
Mr. Nigel
Griffiths : To ask the President of
the Board of Trade if he will publish
statistics for firework injuries for 1993.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer
21 April 1994] : I
published the statistics for firework
injuries for 1993 on 20 April in answer
to a written question from my hon. Friend
the Member for Southport (Mr. Banks),
Official Report, column 518.
1 November 1994
BILL PRESENTED
Firework Safety
Mr. Nigel
Griffiths, supported by Mrs. Irene Adams,
Mr. David Jamieson, Mr. Gordon McMaster,
Mr. Dennis Turner and Mr. Jon Owen Jones,
presented a Bill to restrict the sale to
the general public of those fireworks
which do not comply with Categories 1-3
of BS7114; and for connected purposes:
And the same was read the First time; and
ordered to be read a Second time upon
Thursday 3 November, and to be printed. [Bill
171.]
20 December 1994
Fireworks
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the President of the Board of
Trade if he will take steps to require
all advertisements for fireworks to
indicate (a) the minimum age of persons
to whom fireworks can be sold and (b) a
warning on the dangers of fireworks, both
to be printed in letters equal to the
largest on the advertisement.
Mr. Ian Taylor: My Department will
raise this during discussions early next
year with the fireworks industry in
preparation for our annual firework
safety campaign.
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