BANNING OLD LIGHT-BULBS MUST BE JUST A START

2.55.51pm GMT Thu 27th Sep 2007

Responding to Hilary Benn's call to phase out energy wasting light bulbs by 2011 in his speech today to the Labour conference, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defra Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said:

"Old light-bulbs are the worst example of wasting energy. But the Government should press the European Commission to go through the standards for all appliances to ensure energy efficiency is a priority. New standards should also seek to phase out stand-by.

"Instead, the EU has just announced an anti-dumping tariff on imports of energy-saving bulbs from China which will make them more expensive. It also levies a 24 pence charge for waste disposal on energy-saving bulbs, but not on conventional ones."