Environment: Chinese Lanterns

House of Lords written question – answered at on 29 August 2013.

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Photo of Lord Christopher Lord Christopher Labour

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to ban Chinese lanterns; and whether they currently treat such lanterns as litter.

Photo of Lord de Mauley Lord de Mauley The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

There have been a number of recent representations to this Department on this issue. We recognise there are concerns about the potential risks posed by sky (Chinese) lanterns, and earlier this year, jointly with the Welsh Government, we commissioned an independent study to identify and assess the impacts and risks associated with them.

Evidence from the report concluded that the contribution of sky lantern debris to overall environmental littering is small or highly localised.

Any future action Government may take will need to be proportionate to the problem and backed by reliable evidence.

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