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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential risks of (a) helium balloon and (b) sky lantern releases; and if he will make a statement.

An independent study commissioned by Defra and the Welsh Government published in 2013 suggested that while anecdotal reports and media coverage could imply that there is widespread concern from farming groups and others over the impacts of sky lanterns and helium balloons on the health and welfare of livestock, the evidence presented indicated that the number of cases reported each year of animals affected through ingestion of sky lantern and helium balloon debris is very small in the context of the wider livestock population..

The Government has no plans for policy changes regarding the release of sky lanterns or helium balloons or to commission an update of the 2013 Report.