Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the legislation regulating the release of helium-filled balloons and sky lanterns.

There is no legislation that specifically regulates the release of helium-filled balloons and sky lanterns.

The National Association of Balloon Artists and Suppliers, the trade association for the balloon industry, has published a code of conduct to minimise the environmental impact of balloon releases. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has published a code of practice for sky lanterns to help ensure that they are manufactured to be safe and are sold responsibly.

Local councils have powers to restrict or regulate the release of balloons and sky lanterns on land that they control. Councils can also take an individual to court, or issue a fixed penalty notice, if they believe them to be guilty of a littering offence.