Thanks, giantpanda, for your reply; I am well up-to-speed in most aspects of legislation as it will affect me.

However, being merely human, I do not know everything, which is why I asked the two specific questions in my original posting.

As it happens, I was nattering today with a French electrician who said that his understanding was that it would be 'bad practice' whislt not being outright illegal.

A nod being as good as a wink to a blind horse, I shall take this to mean I shouldn't do it.