Ban on mass balloon releases

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That this House notes with concern that balloon litter is a persistent threat to marine life, with the Marine Conservation Society finding an average of around three balloons per 100 metres of UK beach over the past five years; further notes that only around 13 per cent of released balloons burst into small pieces, more than 80 per cent come down intact, and balloons marketed as biodegradable can last up to four years in the sea; recognises that marine animals can swallow balloons or become entangled in their strings, and that plastic breaking down into the food chain ultimately affects human health; welcomes the more than 160 English councils and around half of Welsh councils that have banned releases on their land, but believes this leaves much of the UK unprotected; and calls on the Government to introduce a national ban on deliberate mass balloon releases and balloon sticks.