Andy wrote:

I am in the UK.

If I wanted electrical power from an ordinary ceiling lampholder like
one of these:

http://www.connectstores.com/P.E.D/images/Cl003.jpg
http://cpc.farnell.com/productimages...rd/7947676.jpg

then it used to be possible to get cyclindrical electrical plug which
bayonetted into the lampholder. A couple of wires could be attached to
that plug and that way it was possible to use power from the light
socket.

Are such things still available?

Or have they been outlawed by some safety regulations?

They are not available for the simple reason that they never got
the appropriate BS approval.

As to why they were possibly never put forward for approval - well
the rest of the thread answers that

They are not intrinsically unsafe, it's the stupid things that some people
used them for without thinking, irons, heaters etc. - given they were
unfused, and rewireable fuses were common at the CU + handy pack of
5A/15A/30A fusewire hanging on a nail encouraged the unthinkable...

Our Christmas tree lights used to be terminated in one of these and plugged
in a handy lamp, sometimes using the other great now-unavailable item, the
1:2 BC adaptor. Heh.

Cheers

Tim