tidings
Clint Chan Tack
MINISTER in the Office of the Attorney-General and Legal Affairs Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal hoped that people would be responsible in the purchase and use of fireworks before the Compendium of Offenses (Amendment) Bill, 2022 (or the “Fireworks Bill”) becomes law .
She said the bill “seeks to strike a balance between the responsible use of fireworks and the peaceful enjoyment of property, public safety and the interests of the fireworks industry.”
Addressing a virtual consultation on the bill on Friday, Sagramsingh-Sooklal noted that Trinidad and Tobago was at the beginning of a period known as “fireworks season”. This period includes holidays such as Independence, Diwali and New Year’s Eve.
“People will meet in numbers and fireworks are part of our culture.”
As the bill is not yet law, Sagramsingh-Sooklal said: “It’s business as usual, unfortunately, as it relates to the purchase and use of fireworks.”
But she said the government hopes citizens will be responsible and “know that even in the absence of law and regulations, people must take personal responsibility.”
The consultation on the Bill recognized this, along with the damage that unregulated use of fireworks can do to animals, people and property.
Sagramsingh-Sooklal said a study by the Environment Management Authority (EMA) said 60 percent of animals affected by fireworks are dogs while 17 percent are cats. Effects of fireworks on animals include disorientation, trauma and death.
A second EMA survey found that 79 per cent of people said they had been negatively affected by the use of fireworks.
Law Reform Commission member Samraj Harripaul, SC, estimated that the commission could take two to three months to produce an amended bill, based on feedback from the consultations, its recommendations and final instructions from the Attorney General. General Reginal Armour, SC, on the bill.
Harripaul said after that, it was up to the Government when the bill would be introduced in Parliament. The 2022/23 Budget will be the top priority for Parliament when it returns from its mid-year break in September.
Sagramsingh-Sooklal could not give an exact time when the bill would be tabled in Parliament.
“I would like to believe in the new year, it can be laid.” She said that the bill is part of the Government’s legislative agenda. It requires a simple majority for passage.
Sagramsingh-Sooklal identified two approaches the Government had taken in dealing with fireworks.
The first was a strict ban on the import, purchase and use of fireworks.
“That approach essentially ended the industry.” Sagramsingh-Sooklal warned that this could encourage the illegal importation of fireworks, which would be more difficult to regulate.
She said that’s why the bill seeks a balance between the safety and entertainment values of fireworks.
Some of these measures include the sale of fireworks only to people over 18 years of age, a permit required for the use of fireworks, and specific times that are set for their use.
While noiseless fireworks have been advanced by some as a solution, Harripaul said these are more expensive than regular fireworks and fireworks suppliers may find it uneconomical to sell them.
Sagramsingh-Sooklal admitted to liking lantern fireworks. But she accepted comments about their destructive power from Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West MP Stuart Young after 25 people in Belmont were left homeless after a fire, said to have been started by a Chinese lantern, destroyed the homes of theirs.
At the time, Young expressed a personal view that fireworks should not be sold to the public.
Sagramsingh-Sooklal said the bill does not address the issue of accreditation as other pieces of legislation do. She reiterated that her focus is the sale and arrangement of fireworks.
