Nov. 21 2025
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Source Page: CPTPP: joint ministerial statement in Melbourne, 21 November 2025Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered an education campaign to raise public awareness of the potential merits of low-noise fireworks.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to engage with the British Fireworks Association, businesses, consumer groups, and charities to understand the issues with and impacts of fireworks.
The insights from these discussions helped to inform the campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season which encourages the use of lower noise fireworks. The campaign materials have been shared widely to increase their impact. The Government will continue to gather evidence, including on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people to inform any future action.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to review whether fireworks legislation adequately protects (a) animals and (b) vulnerable people.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to engage with the British Fireworks Association, businesses, consumer groups, and charities to understand the issues with and impacts of fireworks.
The insights from these discussions helped to inform the campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season which encourages the use of lower noise fireworks. The campaign materials have been shared widely to increase their impact. The Government will continue to gather evidence, including on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people to inform any future action.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to meet with fireworks industry stakeholders.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to engage with the British Fireworks Association, businesses, consumer groups, and charities to understand the issues with and impacts of fireworks.
The insights from these discussions helped to inform the campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season which encourages the use of lower noise fireworks. The campaign materials have been shared widely to increase their impact. The Government will continue to gather evidence, including on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people to inform any future action.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to adopt a UK-wide model similar to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Act (Scotland) 2022, which empowers local authorities to set up fireworks-free zones.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are currently no plans to adopt such a model UK-wide. The Government regularly engages with its counterparts in Scotland is keen to understand the impact Firework Control Zones have made before considering if similar changes are needed for England and Wales.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to encourage economic growth in the (a) pubs and (b) hospitality sectors.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the vital role that hospitality businesses play in local communities and the economy. That’s why we’re investing £440,000 with Pub is The Hub to help rural pubs diversify, aiming to support rural communities, create new jobs and services.
The Government invited views and evidence to aid development of a modern, proportionate and enabling licensing system. A Call for Evidence ran for four weeks until 6 November. This attracted a significant number of responses and work is now underway to analyse these. These reforms form part of the Small Business Strategy, which is designed to tackle late payments, improve access to finance and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens.
We are also creating a fairer business rates system, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000. We continue to work closely with the sector through the Hospitality Sector Council to address challenges.