Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will assess the potential effect on (a) public safety and (b) animal welfare of restricting fireworks displays to regulated organised displays only.
Margot James
Limiting firework displays to regulated organised displays only is not supported, on public safety grounds, by the current available evidence. Official statistics, from NHS Digital, demonstrate that there is a downwards trend in hospital admissions in England, arising from the discharge of fireworks, with 114 such admissions in 2014/15. The Government will continue to focus on reducing accidents and nuisance by encouraging industry, retailers and others to promote responsible use through guidance and public education.
The Government accepts that fireworks can have a detrimental effect on some animals. However, we consider that if users follow guidance on the correct and sensible use of fireworks, and owners of animals take appropriate precautions, these can help to avoid or reduce any detrimental effects.
