Fireworks in Scotland: consultation

Introduction

What this consultation is about

The Scottish Government is gathering information and views on the use and regulation of fireworks in Scotland. We want to hear your experiences and what you think about the way fireworks are currently used.

Fireworks are traditionally associated with festivities which celebrate events that are important to different communities across Scotland. These can include cultural events such as celebrating the new year; religious events such as the Hindu community celebrating Diwali; or family events such as celebrating a wedding or birthday. These events will often bring communities together and can be important in helping us to maintain our ties and friendships with people from our own community and those outside our community. Fireworks can bring colour and excitement to the special occasions that are important to us.

However, fireworks are potentially dangerous and need to be used safely and handled with care to avoid serious injury. For some, the noise made by setting off fireworks can be a nuisance, and the disturbance can cause distress to both people and animals.

While much of the current legislation on fireworks is reserved to Westminster the consultation will help to identify gaps, issues or unintended consequences with the current regulatory framework. We would like to hear any views you have on whether the regulations on the use of fireworks needs to be improved. (The term "regulations" means the laws which set out what people can and cannot do with fireworks.)

How do I get involved?

This consultation was launched on Friday 3 February and will run until Friday 13 May 2019. You can submit a response at any time before the closing date. To give us your views, please click here https://consult.gov.scot/safer-communities/fireworks.

There are no restrictions on who can respond to the consultation. We would like to hear all experiences and views, both positive and negative, so that we can better understand both the importance and the impact of fireworks to different communities.

During the consultation we are running a series of public events across Scotland to allow anyone with an interest to come along and share views. You can find a list of events and details of how to book on our website (https://consult.gov.scot/safer-communities/fireworks). Both the written responses to the consultation and the views expressed at the consultation events will be used to inform any future actions.

Am I restricted to answering the questions in the consultation?

No, there are free text boxes in the consultation document which allow you to tell us anything that you believe is important. You do not need to answer all the questions - you can choose to only answer those questions you feel are relevant to you.