Ms Anna Levin:

Incandescent lighting was banned and phased out by the EU with no provision for people who cannot tolerate the alternatives, no provision for people to light their homes or live their lives. LightAware, which is a small charity, campaigned very hard to get an exemption included in EU law in order that people who cannot tolerate the current forms of lighting can at least access incandescent or halogen bulbs to light their homes.

It is not a mechanism whereby a person suffering from this sensitivity would to be able to work or go out but it is an acknowledgement that people need to be able to light their own spaces.

We were asked what are the best types of light? Sadly, they are not widely available. One action the committee could take would be to examine the exemption in EU law for people who need alternative forms of light to enable them to access those and see how that could work in practice. For Ms Dennehy and many other people we hear from, whether they go to their doctor or pharmacy, while it is all very well having this written in the law, how do they get a light bulb to light their homes? The committee could take on that challenge.