Dublin City Council has asked Northern Ireland’s Minister for Justice to make the sale of fireworks illegal.
Arising from a Joint Dublin Policing Committee held earlier this month which revealed a large increase in the availability of illegal fireworks, several city councillors raised their concerns with the Council.
Three weeks ago the Council wrote to the Northern Irish Assembly and Justice Minister Naomi Long, “calling on (them) to align their legislation to ours in the relation to the sale of fireworks and making them illegal,” according to a spokesperson for the local authority.
The letter has asked the Assembly to ensure the sale of fireworks to the general public, to only be allowed under a licensing system, to that south of the border.
Both laws need to reflect how dangerous fireworks can be to those who are not specialised or trained using them.
The move arose from a motion which was passed at the Council’s meeting held on October 5.
The motion was proposed by councillors included, Former Lord Mayor and Independent councillor Christy Burke, Joe Costello, Mary Freehill and Jane Horgan Jones.
The Council spokesperson added that they are “waiting” for a response from the Assembly on the matter.
Cllr Burke said that the sale of fireworks to the general public was a “threat to life and limb” and “simply dangerous as people can just travel over the border and bring them back to the south.
“Both laws need to reflect how dangerous fireworks can be to those who are not specialised or trained using them.
“There is a very real risk to life and serious injury when they get into the hands of children”.
