Fireworks

Margaret Ferrier Excerpts

Monday 6th June 2016 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon]

I cannot say whether I am older than the hon. Gentleman—I just had a harder paper round—but I thank him for his wise words. On re-education, things have been done to reduce the effects of noise, such as by raising the volume of CDs, MP3s or Spotify so that animals do not get shocked, upset or panicked when the big bang comes at the end. Products are also available through vets. I am not a vet—far from it—but I love animals and have had animals all my life. Vets tell me that there are products available that act like air fresheners and, instead of just making the house smell like flowers, release a calming hormone into the air. Does it work? I cannot say.

[Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (SNP)]

Can we have one in the Chamber?

[Jim Shannon]

I am not sure whether that is possible. If the product works, and there is some indication that it does, it means that there are other things we can do for our animals. There are options out there to help reduce the stress that fireworks cause animals, and as access to such methods, and knowledge of them, becomes widespread, there will be an opportunity to ensure that our response to animals and fireworks is firmly going in the right direction and that we are doing the right things. We do not need to be the fun police or to reduce the positive aspects of fireworks, though it can be tempting to go straight down the road of regulation, but it is always good to have regulation with balance. Yes, protect the animals, but let us have fun with fireworks for our children, as we had when we were wee kids, and as the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Jason McCartney) said, so that my grandchildren will also have that opportunity. Let us do it responsibly and safely. Furthermore, there are alternative means of reducing stress in animals to a negligible level.

Animals have no voice, and we, as their owners, have a responsibility to look after them responsibly in a way that also gives us enjoyment. When people pet their dog, it responds; when people give their cat a pat on the head, it will purr and lift its tail. Those things happen because our pets respond to us. We have to respond to them, too, and ensure that our animals are not scared of fireworks. This Westminster Hall debate has been another useful opportunity for Members to give voice to those with no voice, which is welcome.

--- Later in debate ---

[Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (SNP)]

It is an honour, as always, to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I congratulate the hon. Member for Northampton South (David Mackintosh) on introducing this important debate on the back of the very successful e-petition.

I know that many people here might think it slightly off that I am talking about perhaps restricting the sale of fireworks, given that in Scotland we are world-famous for our use of them. Never mind the spectacular displays at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai or over Sydney harbour on new year’s eve; we in Scotland do it far better than anywhere else. The scenes in the skies over Edinburgh on Hogmanay are the envy of the world, and we certainly show everyone how fireworks displays should be organised.

I admit that we in Scotland are a nation of firework lovers, but we are also a nation of animal lovers. I wish to discuss in particular the balance between firework use for celebrations and the impact on animals. Any legislation pertaining to fireworks must take into account the fact that people have the right to mark celebrations with fireworks, whether they be concerts, weddings or religious festivals. However, legislation must also protect those who do not have a voice and who need our support. Just as a balance must be struck between the rights of animals when it comes to slaughter and religious and cultural beliefs, the same fine balance must be made here too. If we can change something without necessarily legislating for it, that would almost certainly be my preferred option every time.

[Julian Knight (Solihull) (Con)]

The hon. Lady is making a telling contribution to this important debate. Does she join me in agreeing with the Dogs Trust’s position on the issue? It is interesting that she talks about a collaborative approach. The Dogs Trust recommends that local authorities take into consideration the location of public displays when granting a licence and require that it be well publicised in the surrounding area. Does she agree with such a course of action?

[Margaret Ferrier]

Definitely. I will come to that point, and to some statistics from the Dogs Trust. The hon. Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee), who is not in his place, mentioned that it is important for people to have advance notice. I know that that is not always easy when people buy fireworks and have a display in their garden; they do not let the general public know. That is an issue. It is about knowing the time that an event will take place, which is why the hon. Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Angela Smith) made a good point in saying that general fireworks displays are better; everyone knows about them because they are well publicised.

I thank the hon. Member for Solihull (Julian Knight) for his intervention, but he stole my next sentence: I was about to say that one way to solve the problem is by having and promoting public fireworks displays. In Glasgow, the council holds fireworks shows every bonfire night, which attract as many as 50,000 people. The consequence of such a large number of people attending these gatherings is that far fewer people buy their own fireworks, and fewer fireworks at home mean less disturbance for our pets. If a major display is well publicised, people who have pets are made aware of it and can easily draw up contingency plans to avoid it if necessary, because they have plenty of advance warning. A Dogs Trust survey of 3,750 people found that 93% of pet owners alter their plans during fireworks celebrations to try to minimise their pets’ trauma. No matter how annoying or inconvenient it can be for people to change their routine, they can do it.

Of course, I am not naive enough to think that having more public displays will magically solve the problem, because, as we know, fireworks are not exclusively used on 5 November. People’s plans cannot be changed when their next door neighbour holds an impromptu fireworks display at 10.30 pm on a random Tuesday. Several of my constituents say that it is the lead-up to and aftermath of both Guy Fawkes night and new year’s eve that cause the most problems for their dogs. Scamp, the dog belonging to my office manager Derec, is absolutely petrified of fireworks, as is Fluffy, my constituent Carol’s Lhasa Apso. Both dogs show signs of distress and completely change their behaviour, which has a negative effect on their owners. Fluffy is a small, petite dog, while Scamp is a larger Border collie, showing that all sizes and breeds of dog are affected by fireworks. As we are all aware, across the country thousands of dogs are affected by fireworks and many show the same symptoms of fear, including freezing on the spot. People can imagine how hard it is to carry a Border collie back home: because Scamp will not move at all at such times, it is no mean feat to carry him. Affected dogs can also bark or panic.

Another of my constituents, Lynne, is actually a dog trainer and trainee behaviourist. She has managed to teach her dog, Cal, a coping strategy; when he hears fireworks, he runs into a “safe” room and stays in there until the noise ends. Lynne is one of the lucky ones who is talented enough to provide such training. Sadly, however, most dogs have to suffer, with many of them actually requiring veterinary assistance.

To tackle this issue, I certainly do not wish to bring down the fireworks industry. Fireworks are enjoyed by some 10 million people in the UK every year and banning them completely would change many of our celebrations for the worse. None the less, we must take a pragmatic approach. The British Fireworks Association says that current legislation must be correctly enforced and it has also called for an increase in fines—from £1,000 to £5,000—for those found guilty of breaking the law. If the association is calling for such steps, it shows that something has to be done.

[Philip Boswell]

Current legislation and—critically—enforcement of it restricts the periods within which fireworks are sold by unlicensed traders. However, fireworks are often stockpiled for later use by members of the public when prices are slashed after Guy Fawkes night, and fireworks are readily available online. Does my hon. Friend agree that these sources also need more effective regulation and enforcement?

[Margaret Ferrier]

I do indeed and I thank my hon. Friend for making that point about the bigger issue of online sales and—as the hon. Member for Mansfield (Sir Alan Meale) said—fireworks being imported from other countries that perhaps do not adhere to EU law. Such imports should not be used or even brought into the country. We need to find a way round that issue as well, because such fireworks will be dangerous not only to animals, but to the humans who end up using them.

The Dogs Trust says it is important that owners take preventive measures to prepare their dogs for the noise of fireworks, and the Kennel Club argues that existing legislation should be properly and rigorously enforced. I agree with both those points. In the lead-up to this year’s fireworks season, I will do all I can locally to ensure that everyone acts in a socially responsible manner with fireworks and I urge all Members present today to do the same. To reduce the disruption to animals, it is incumbent on everyone to play their part to guarantee that fireworks are used with minimal problems, and that is true for both the owners of shops that sell fireworks and the owners of pets. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s responses to all the points that have been made by Members in this important debate.