Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 10/Dec 09:28

Fireworks Bill passes with unanimous support in House

THE Summary Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2025, also known as the Fireworks Regulation Bill, was unanimously passed in the House of Representatives on December 9, with amendments. The vote was 38 members for, zero members against, and no abstentions. Attorney General John Jeremie, in piloting the bill, said it proposes to regulate the use of fireworks through a permit system, with breaches being made a ticketable offence. The bill contains six clauses and required a simple majority vote. In piloting the bill, Jeremie said fireworks were not toys but explosive devices which could create great damage and injury. He said the bill aimed to amend and regulate the use of fireworks, which have become a part of celebrations in TT, but could also be a nuisance and pose threats to life and limbs. He listed several incidents where people had been injured and buildings set on fire, with the most recent incident being of a newborn baby who passed away in October. “What was once a source of celebration has become over the years a serious public safety concern. Vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly and those with medical conditions suffer from the excessive noise and destruction. Animals too are affected. Homes and businesses are at risk of catching fire if fireworks land on them. “Fireworks pose a grave national security risk. Their explosive components can be repurposed to construct improvised bombs, while their deafening blasts mimic gunfire so closely that they may mask illegal use of firearms, and there have been a number of occasions where this has been done.” Jeremie said the six-clause bill also details the exceptions for use of fireworks without a permit, and the restrictions of the use of fireworks. He said the minister responsible for national security is given the power to make regulations to give effect to the new sections that will regulate the fireworks industry, except the sections dealing with the fixed penalty. The AG said work on the bill began in 2020 when the law reform commission reviewed the laws governing fireworks. A policy paper was produced, followed by recommendations which were used to create the Summary Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was put out for public comment. This input was used to provide recommendations for the current bill. Clause 5 of the bill seeks to amend the Act by repealing sections 99 to 101 of the Act and substituting new sections 99 to 101(I). The proposed section 99 says a person shall not discharge fireworks unless he holds a permit issued by the commissioner of police, which must be applied for. Permits will not be given to people under the age of 18. The proposed section 100 provides for the general provisions for permits to be granted to use fireworks. These provisions would include, inter alia, the type and amount of fireworks, the location and date and time when they can be used. The proposed section 101 provides the requirement for people to notify the Fire Service about the intended use of fireworks 14 days in advance of when they plan to use it. The proposed section 101A provides the restrictions on people’s use of fireworks as it relates to the discharge on land, whether such discharge creates a danger or nuisance and the supervision of children when discharging toy fireworks. The proposed section 101B provides for the restriction on the use of fireworks in specified areas, within a half mile radius of a public hospital, a private hospital, an airport, a zoo, a registered animal shelter, a farm where animals are reared, a Forest Reserve and a National Park. The proposed section 101C says a person is not required to obtain a permit for the discharge of fireworks on specified days. A person is allowed to discharge fireworks on a public holiday between the hours of 8-9 pm of that same day; and December 31 between the hours of 11.30 pm-12.30 am the next day. He said the proposed section 101D provides for a fixed penalty notice to be issued by a police officer where an offence is committed under sections 99 to 101C, while the proposed section 101E provides for the payment of the fixed penalty notice. The proposed section 101F provides for a person to file a notice to contest his fixed penalty notice to the District Criminal and Traffic Court. The proposed section 101G provides for proceedings to be instituted where the fixed penalty notice is not paid, and the proposed section 101H provides for the interpretation of certain terms used in the preceding sections. The proposed section 101I empowers the minister to make regulations to give effect to sections 99 to 101C. Jeremie said clause 6 of the bill seeks to insert a consequential amendment to the Evidence Act, Chap. 7:02 to provide that a video recording recorded by means of a mobile phone tablet, iPad or other similar electronic device shall be admissible as evidence. He said this is a The AG said the bill strikes a careful balance between traditional celebrations and protecting the population from the unsafe use of fireworks. Opposition MP Symon De Nobriga said the opposition supported the bill. He said the fixed penalty system modernised enforcement. He suggested that the penalty for paying the ticket should be increased from 14 to 28 days, to make it less onerous. He suggested that the government reinstate key oversight agencies – the Environmental Management Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority and the municipal corporations – to aid in oversight and enforcement. De Nobriga said there needed to be a robust public education programme so that people would understand the conditions under which fireworks could be discharged. He noted that the Culture and Community Development Minister had said the Queen’s Park Savannah and the Chaguaramas Peninsula could be used for events, given the ban on using sporting facilities. He said under this bill, this could be problematic as the Savannah falls between the Emperor Valley Zoo, the Port of Spain General Hospital and other private hospitals, while large portions of the Chaguaramas peninsula are forest reserves. He said he did not want this legislation to put a nail in the coffin of the vulnerable entertainment sector. De Nobriga said the bill did not do enough to account for the people who would not follow the law, thinking it did not apply to them or they would not get caught and face consequences. He said while he approved of the admittance of video evidence, he did not know how effective this evidence would be. “There is nothing here that doesn’t allow for altering of videos, AI or videos taken on some other day purporting to be another day. Also in the inclusion, it shifts the responsibility from the state to the citizens to monitor themselves, putting it in the hands of the citizens to say ‘my neighbour or the person up the street is doing this, here is a video which may or may not be true.’” De Nobriga said there was nothing in the bill which dealt with purchase of fireworks. He asked if a permit would be required for purchase and whether there would be regulations governing sales to minors. The post Fireworks Bill passes with unanimous support in House appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.