§ Vernon CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made regarding the effectiveness of legislation controlling the(a) sale and (b) use of fireworks. [23239]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn) on 13 December 2001,Official Report, column 943W.
§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of persons injured by fireworks in each of the last five years were injured by fireworks in (1)(a) category 3 and (b) category 4 of BS 7114; [23655]
(2) (a) Category 1 and (b) Category 2 of BS 7114. [23673]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonWe do not collect information on the BS7114 technical category of fireworks involved in injuries. Our annual data collection exercise provides details of the place of accident, such as public display or private party, and the type of firework involved, based on the patient's description. Category 4 fireworks are 459W prohibited from general sale by the Fireworks (Safety) regulations 1997. We also know that the majority of injuries are caused in some way by misuse. We have no evidence of any correlation between the technical category of fireworks and the levels of injury.
§ Mr. LazarowiczTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations she has received since 1 October from(a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public concerning the use, misuse and sale of fireworks. [24140]
§ Ms HewittMy Department has received 348 representations from hon. Members and 653 directly from members of the public, concerning a wide range of issues relating to fireworks.