Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of anti-social behaviour in relation to the discharge of fireworks in (a) Sefton, (b) North West England, (c) England and Wales.
There is a comprehensive regulatory framework already in place for fireworks that controls the sale, availability and use of fireworks, as well as setting a curfew and noise limit. The Government remains committed to promoting the safe and considerate use of fireworks through the effective legislative framework and through non-legislative measures – a position also recommended by the Petitions Committee in its 2019 inquiry into fireworks (HC103).
The Government launched a public awareness campaign for the 2020 fireworks season. The focus of the campaign was to educate people on how to buy, use, store and dispose of fireworks safely; ensure retailers know and understand their responsibilities when selling fireworks; and, promote the considerate use of fireworks, so that people and animals can be better protected from any negative effects that may be caused by fireworks.
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour. The latest police recorded incident data released on 28 October showed a continued fall in anti-social behaviour (ASB) as of June 2020 (down 33% since 2012/13). A regional assessment of trends in the level of anti-social behaviour in relation to the discharge of fireworks was not included.