Fireworks: Sale and Use

Robbie Moore Excerpts

Monday 8th November 2021 Westminster Hall

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Elliot Colburn) for securing this important debate. Although it was bonfire night last week, I am afraid to say that firework misuse across my constituency, in Keighley and Ilkley, happens throughout the year, every night and well into the evening and the early morning. This is not acceptable for many of my constituents, who just want to be able to have a peaceful night’s sleep.

Fireworks are causing antisocial behaviour. They are a huge nuisance to pets, animals and livestock. They also produce litter. When the rockets are sent into the air, the cartridge or whatever it may be lands in green fields and is consumed by livestock. We have seen that with Chinese lanterns as well, so may I use this opportunity to call for a ban on them too?

As I say, fireworks cause huge antisocial behaviour. I hope the Minister will join me in condemning the yobs and hooligans who targeted Keighley fire brigade only last week with fireworks when it was out on duty. It was a four-man brigade. Luckily nobody was properly injured, but these fireworks were targeted at members of the Keighley fire brigade who were just going to carry out their duty.

Fireworks cause huge amounts of antisocial behaviour, and we absolutely must put a stop to members of the general public being able to purchase fireworks. I fully support the call for proper fireworks to be utilised at licensed events by licence holders, because we are dealing with explosives here. To buy a shotgun and the cartridges to use with it, someone must have a proper licence, which is vetted by the police and the council. I do not understand why we should not be looking at tougher measures along these lines for fireworks. After all, they are explosives and are causing huge discomfort for many in my constituency right throughout the year. They should not be let off in car parks, roads and back gardens, where they cause huge disturbance. They should be utilised only at proper, licensed events by licence holders. I urge the Government to do all in their power to review the current situation so that we have a proper, meaningful position going forward.

--- Later in debate ---

[Paul Scully]

I will happily engage with the hon. Lady on her private Member’s Bill.

[Robbie Moore]

Do not the examples given in today’s debate, including the yobs and hooligans in Keighley who fired fireworks at Keighley fire brigade only last week, demonstrate that fireworks are being purchased and getting into the wrong hands and that we need to look seriously at tightening the licensing provisions for the sale of fireworks?

[Paul Scully]

I was going to turn back to exactly that. In our polling, the Government found that 11% of the population want a total ban on fireworks, 36% want a ban on the private sale of fireworks, and, from memory, 64% enjoy the use of fireworks and want to be able to enjoy them both privately and publicly. We came to similar conclusions from our evidence as were reached by the Petitions Committee in its 2019 inquiry. In the extensive report setting out its findings, the Committee concluded that introducing further restrictions on fireworks was not the appropriate course of action, due to the potential unintended consequences. That was just two years ago. We agree with that position.

We acknowledge the experience of people who believe that banning fireworks would push the market underground and make it more difficult to regulate and monitor. We also agree with the Committee’s conclusion that such a ban would have a substantial economic effect on those who have built their livelihood in the fireworks industry. Restricting fireworks would probably also have dire consequences for community displays, which raise funds for good causes.

Due to those significant concerns, the Government believe that the most balanced course of action is to continue to pursue non-legislative measures on fireworks to complement existing legislation. That is the position we set out and committed to in our response to the Petition Committee’s inquiry. As such, we have been carrying out—