Islanders will have the chance to share their views on the use of fireworks by the end of the year, but any tighter restrictions will not be implemented for much longer.

Home Affairs Minister Mary Le Hegarat said she hasn’t been able to prioritise the issue during this term “due to other priorities”. 

But, in a comments paper, she has accepted a proposition lodged by Deputy Max Andrews for a consultation on fireworks and other pyrotechnics before the end of the year.

However, the proposed timeline would see the consultation findings and recommendations for potential law changes not presented to the States Assembly until June 2028.

Deputy Le Hegarat said that while “some islanders” have made their views clear through the survey, petitions, and the testimonies shared by Deputy Max Andrews, a consultation is still necessary.

This is in order to ensure islanders “on all sides of the debate” have the chance to share their views and ideas.

It is proposed that the consultation would gather the views from the public, animal-welfare organisations, and other relevant stakeholders on the effects of noise and disturbance on pets, livestock, and individuals.

Last year, the majority of islanders who responded to the Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey supported tighter controls – including advance notice, limits on when fireworks can be used, and caps on noise levels.

Currently, fireworks are regulated under the Explosives (Jersey) Law 1970, which controls their sale, but not their use.

To address this gap, the Explosives (Jersey) Law 2014 was approved by the States Assembly in 2014.

It provided regulation-making powers to address all aspects of supply, possession, and use, with the potential to create better protections for persons, animals, and property.

However, this law has not yet come into force because it was intended for firework regulations to be ready so the two could be launched together.

Work on detailed fireworks proposals initially began in 2017 but were delayed due to the Covid pandemic. The project continued for a time in 2023 under the then-Home Affairs Minister, Deputy Helen Miles.

Since then, Deputy Le Hegarat said it had not progressed any further due to “other extensive legislative commitments”.

Despite this, she said the fireworks regulations were “fairly well developed”, so a consultation seemed like an “ideal opportunity” to get the public’s views on the measures.

Deputy Andrews’ proposition is due to be debated during the States sitting beginning on Tuesday 3 February.