This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Firework injuries down
10/03/2005
The number of people injured by fireworks fell by 4 per
cent between 2003 and 2004.
This continues the ongoing trend of falling number of
injuries as seen in the previous year.
Welcoming the figures Health Minister Andy Kerr
said:
"I'm very pleased to see the number of people injured by
fireworks this year is continuing to fall.
"I would expect as people become more aware of the
danger they cause the number of injuries would continue to
fall.
"'New laws and recently announced measures to curb the
illegal sale of fireworks to children through test
purchasing should see a further reduction in the number of
people hurt."
Deputy Minister for Finance Tavish Scott said:
"These figures are a welcome step in the right
direction. The UK Government and the Scottish Executive
have tightened up our fireworks legislation and I am
confident this will continue to ensure we protect
local people and communities - and
hopefully drive these figures down even further."
"A well-organised fireworks display can be fun - but,
used irresponsibly, fireworks can also cause untold misery
in communities across Scotland."
The number of people injured by fireworks in Scotland in
2004 was 68, a decrease of 4% from the previous year's
figure of 71.