Ireland's plastic bag tax is to double under new laws expected to be published next month.

The current 22 euro cent tax on every single-use carrier distributed would double to 44 cents, around 40p, under the proposals.

Ireland was the first country to introduce a levy on carrier bags when a 15 cent tax was introduced in March 2002. Since then, more than EUR120m has been generated in tax revenue from the measure.

The Irish Department of the Environment said on Thursday (24 September) that the charge would be doubled to ensure a "sufficient deterrent" to shoppers who arrived at checkouts without bringing bags of their own.

The Irish Fianna Fail-Green party coalition's Environment Minister John Gormley, of the Green party, told a Dublin environmental conference this week: "I am encouraged somewhat by previous environmental taxes that we introduced such as the plastic bag levy which initially met with certain resistance. We're putting it up this year to 44 cent and yet it is hugely popular."

News of the measure came in the same week as the Welsh Assembly Government completed a consultation on its plans to introduce a 15p bag tax - a move that the British Retail Consortium described as "draconian".

Voluntary measures in the UK including many supermarkets taking single-use carrier bags under the counter have helped to almost halve the number distributed in the UK in the last three years, according to figures from Wrap.