Fireworks Bill

Debate between Katie White and Sarah Owen

2nd reading
Friday 17th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Owen]

I will make a little progress.

At the times when we want fireworks the most, unlicensed pop-up shops appear. They sell explosives that should be handled by licensed sellers, and that should only be sold to members of the public at the lowest and safest levels.

[Katie White (Leeds North West) (Lab)]

Does my hon. Friend agree with my constituent Hayley from Adel, who contacted me before the election to say that the balance has now got completely out of kilter? We have all heard about the devastating impact of fireworks on wildlife and the tragic case of Roxie at Edinburgh zoo, and about the social impact—for example, on neurodiverse people. We now have the ability to manage the use of fireworks through restrictions, or by bringing down the decibel level, in order to provide a more effective balance for our communities.

[Sarah Owen]

I wholeheartedly agree. There are some incredibly cool alternatives to loud fireworks, and the general public really like them. A YouGov survey recently said that drones are more popular than fireworks in the UK, and we have seen some fantastic drone displays. There are also low-noise fireworks, but the general public still do not know quite what they are buying at the moment.

I would hazard a guess that not many people would know—until they became as nerdy as me about fireworks—the difference between an F2 and an F3 firework. We need to enable, encourage and educate responsible members of the public on what they are buying and on the alternatives. There is a challenge there for the fireworks lobby, which needs to diversify. There is a hunger among the public and consumers for quieter fireworks and increased use of technology such as drones. We need to see change now, because the public are behind us—