§ Tony CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to halt the illegal importation of fireworks, in particular through the internet. [136958]
§ Mr. SutcliffeI have been asked to reply.
Talks are already under way between DTI and the principal Departments that deal with importation and storage issues, that is, Customs and Excise and HSE, respectively.
The Department under the new Fireworks Act 2003 will bring in a raft of measures by the summer of 2004 and which will include a requirement on importers to provide information about their imports. The purpose of this would be to better track fireworks imports to help ensure that they are destined for legal (licensed) distribution and supply outlets.