LEGISLATION BANNING traditional light bulbs from the start of 2009 will be in place by the summer, according to Government sources.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley is expected to bring the legislative proposals to Cabinet some time after the Easter break.
They will form part of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill and will enable the Minister to make regulations determining minimum standards for light bulbs.
The highly-technical regulations, which will be published at a later stage, will designate the appropriate luminous efficacy for light bulbs.
In effect, the minimum standards will pave the way for traditional bulbs to be replaced by environmentally friendly, and lower-energy, light bulbs.
Informed sources accepted that the plan to ban inefficient light bulbs starting in early 2009 was ambitious but they said that Mr Gormley, the Green Party leader, remained on course to achieve that goal, a key part of last December's "Carbon Budget".
All things being equal, the sources said, the Bill (which is a short one) will pass through the Oireachtas by summer, allowing the regulations to be issued by autumn.
Simultaneously, a detailed consultation process is underway with industry and lighting experts which is looking at the best way forward.
A number of issues have cropped up, including the situation faced by a small group of people who suffer from conditions that can be impacted by low-energy light bulbs.
Earlier this year, it was claimed that the EU had raised a red flag about the banning of products in Ireland that were available in other member states.
But, having met with a number of commissioners to discuss the issue, Mr Gormley said there was no objection being raised by the EU about the impending ban.
However, because of technical issues surrounding different kinds of light bulbs, it is possible that the Government may stagger the process, replacing the most commonly used bulbs first.
Sources said that the early 2009 target was still achievable and that the Green Party leader was determined to put on a major push to get the policy implemented by the designated time.
Once the ban goes through, the sale of traditional light bulbs will not be allowed.
One problem with low-energy bulbs is that some cannot be used with dimmer switches.
However, this issue may be resolved by advances in LED (light-emitting diode) technology.
Some experts believe that this technology will eventually replace the more common CFL (compact fluorescent lamp), though the costs of LED are still high.
