歐盟禁止兒童購買聖誕煙花惹爭議
Stores are being banned from selling Christmas crackers to anyone under 16 because an EU inspired diktat classes them as ‘category 1 fireworks’.
由於歐盟鼓勵對“第一類煙花”發放強制令，一些商店被禁止向16歲以下的顧客銷售聖誕煙花。
Check-out staff have even been warned they face a ?5,000 fine – or up to six months’ jail – if found guilty of selling the ‘dangerous explosives’ to an under-age child.
一旦發現向未成年孩子銷售危險爆炸物，收款人員將面臨5000歐元的罰款，或是最多六個月的監禁。
Last night, some critics were left asking if crackers are so hazardous, why are we putting them on the dinner table at all.
昨晚，一些批評家詢問煙花是否這麼危險，那爲什麼人們還要把它們放在桌子上呢。
The cracker was invented in 1847 by Tom Smith, a London baker. It subsequently became a particularly British tradition, so any restriction on sales will be felt more keenly here than elsewhere in Europe.
1847年，一位名爲Tom Smith的倫敦麪包師發明了該類煙花。隨後它就變成了英國一個特別的傳統，所以任何在銷售方面的限制在英國都會感覺比在其它歐洲國家更加敏感。
News of the ‘ludicrous’ directive found its way in to the Commons yesterday, where the Prime Minister was asked by Tory MP Michael Ellis to ‘put a firework up the health and safety legislation’.
昨天，這條“可笑的”指令到達了英國國會下院，英國保守黨議員Michael Ellis提議首相將煙花列入健康與安全法裏。
In reply, David Cameron seemed to promise action, saying: ‘That would give me enormous pleasure and I look forward to doing so.’
戴維?卡梅倫似乎表示同意，回覆說：“對我來說那將會是一大樂趣，我期待着這麼做。”
The cracker rules were condemned as ‘particularly daft’, by the British Retail Consortium.
英國零銷商協會則譴責煙花的規定“特別愚蠢”。They are included in the Pyrotechnic Articles (safety) Regulations of August 2010, which implement an EU directive into British law.
它們被寫入2010年8月煙火用品（安全）規章中，這是一項將歐盟的指令貫徹進英國法律的規定。
The original directive recommended the ban should only apply to anyone under 12, however the UK decided to go for the more draconian limit of 16.
原來的指令建議禁止向12歲以下購買者銷售煙花，但英國決定將限制調至16歲。
Trading standards officers will be monitoring how retailers enforce the law. Cashiers have been told to check the age of any cracker shopper who looks under 16.
負責買賣標準的官員將會監測零銷商們對這項法律的執行情況。收銀員已經被告知覈對任何看似低於16歲以下年齡的顧客。
Jane Bevis, of the BRC, said: ‘No one wants children to be able to buy things which are dangerous, but extending rules for fireworks to cover the kind of bang provided by a cracker seems particularly daft.
英國零銷商協會的Jane Bevis說：“沒有人希望孩子們買到一些危險的東西，但將這一類煙花寫入法律看起來特別愚蠢。”
‘It’s vital there is a sensible attitude to enforcement until the Government can reverse this ludicrous restriction.’
“直到政府能扭轉這類可笑的限制，纔是對於執行理性的態度，這是至關重要的。”
The regulations add a fresh layer of bureaucracy to doing the shopping. Most retailers already challenge anyone who looks under 25 to prove their age if they are buying alcohol. Others restrict the sale of matches and glue.
這樣的規章似乎是在人們購物上加了一層新的官僚作風。當消費者購買酒精類飲品時，大多數零售店都會讓任何看似低於25歲以下的人證實他們的年齡。而其他的一些規定則限制買賣火柴和膠水。
The situation has reached the point where some adults carry their passports to cope with checks.
這樣的情形已經達到了一些成年人必須隨身攜帶他們護照的時候，從而應付這些檢查。
