Putting an RCD in stops you being electrocuted whilst changing a
light bulb. As far as I can find out the number of people killed or
admitted to hospital from domestic premises in the UK for this reason
in the last 10 years is precisely zero.

Well, the only person I know personally who's received a serious electric
shock at home received it from a wall-mounted (i.e. fixed) light fitting,
while she was changing a light bulb.

I too know of someone who did the exact same thing - they were thrown
across the room (No RCD)

On the other hand in the same period hundreds have died and thousands
been injured in fires at night. Many more have been killed or
injured in falls down stairs at night. Lighting RCD's regularly trip
if a bulb blows (especially on switch on)

No they don't, that's the MCBs which trip. And *their* installation is
considered to be a good thing.

Same here, out RCD has never tripped when a bulb has popped - The MCB's do
The blowing of the bulb causes over current, not leakage.

and trip very quickly in a
fire as combustion products create leakage paths in wiring. Both
circumstances create risks considerably greater than the trivial one
of electrocution while changing a bulb. The last thing you want in a
fire at night is the lights going out on you.

I think that to form a balanced opinion at this point, we also need to
know
what proportion of fires are caused by electrical faults which might have
been detected by an RCD.

I've just spent 9 years living in a house with a 30mA RCD covering the
lot,
with a 6A MCB on the lighting circuit. The former is frowned upon, the
latter is supposed to be good.

I would always have a seperate MCB on the lights, especially if there were
inquisative kids about.

Is it a requirement to have no RCD, or is it mearly a suggestion?
(Not that it's getting changed anyway)

I fell there is far more risk of someone poking their fingers in the fitting
while it is on, then there is of a fire breaking out - how often are
[regular GLS] bulbs changed compaired to how many times fires break out
in a house?

The former *never* tripped except when there was a fault on an appliance.
The latter tripped on probably 60% of bulb failures, as often as not
requiring a journey downstairs in the dark (have you seen the number of
people that die in stair-falls) to reset the breaker. If suddenly
plunging
a house into darkness is a dangerous, then so are typical 6A type-I (B,
nowadays) MCBs on lighting circuits.

I have installed an emergancy light in the cupboard where the breakers are,
If the lighting trips (or there is a power cut) this illuminates

Sparks...