Minister promises crackdown on fireworks sales
Dealers who sell dangerous fireworks will face increased penalties under forthcoming legislation, it emerged today.
The number of fireworks seized by the Gardaí has increased by more than 500% in the last four years but there are no effective penalties for those caught using them under the 130-year old Explosives Act.
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said he would be introducing a new offence for the possession of fireworks with intent to supply and a new offence for the misuse of fireworks in public places.
“If we leave the penalties in a Victorian state, we can’t ask gardai to hang around on street corners to confiscate bangers. Our aim should be to deal with the people who are in possession of fireworks for commercial purposes,” he said.
According to an opinion poll of 500 people commissioned by the Department of Justice around 57% want ’category two’ fireworks such as garden rockets banned but 38% do not.
Around 68% want the more hazardous ’category three’ banned. Mr McDowell said the findings of the poll backed up his approach.
“People are not asking or demanding there should be a liberalisation in the laws for fireworks.”
He said he would legalise ’category one’ fireworks such as party poppers through a draft EU directive, in response to the finding that around 84% were in favour of the measure.
The National Safety Council said it welcomed the proposed increase in penalties for the sale and importation of fireworks.
“Fireworks are explosives and should be treated as such. They are illegal in Ireland because they are simply not safe for use by the general public and the reasons for this can be seen in A&E departments of hospitals nationwide at this time every year. Horrific injuries, most commonly to the hands and face, can result in serious and permanent scarring,” said acting chief executive Alan Richardson.
According to figures obtained by Fine Gael Justice spokesman Jim O’Keefe, 91 people have been hospitalised for firework-related injuries in the last four years. Around 70% of the injured were men under 20 and 40% of the injuries were burns, which are usually caused by children lighting bangers and holding on to them for too long.
In Tallaght last year, a young man suffered serious facial injuries after the firework he was lighting in his mouth went the wrong way.
“Fireworks can be a great source of entertainment when handled by a professional or someone with training, but can also be a lethal explosive which can maim and kill when in the wrong hands,” said Mr O’Keefe.
He said that with no effective penalties, it was no surprise the current fireworks legislation wasn’t working.
“Every year at Halloween and the New Year there is a sudden escalation in serious anti-social behaviour involving fireworks. This causes great distress to vulnerable people such as the elderly, and to animals including guide dogs. Essentially, we have a law that is honoured more in the breach than anything else,” he said.
The number of individual fireworks seized by gardai has increased from nearly 5,600 in 2000 to more than 36,200 last year.
In the North, fireworks are legal but can only be bought by those holding a €44 fireworks licence.
