Committee calls on government to set higher competence requirements for electricians

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A committee of MPs has called for greater competence checks on electricians carrying out work covered by Part P of building regulations.

The Communities and Local Government Committee urged government to set higher competence requirements for electricians carrying out work under Part P, which covers the riskiest electrical work.

In a report published today the committee recognises Part P has 鈥渋mproved鈥� the quality of domestic electrical work, but added 鈥渕uch more needs to be done to protect people in their homes鈥�.

The report also calls on government to increase the public鈥檚 awareness of Part P and calls for more proactive enforcement against those who breach it.

Clive Betts MP, chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, said: 鈥淯nder the current competent persons scheme the person actually carrying out the work in people鈥檚 homes does not have to be competent. Somebody whose only electrical qualification is that they have attended a five week training course simply should not be re-wiring houses.

鈥淵et this is what we were told is happening.

鈥淭he person in the home wants to know that the person arriving on the doorstep is a qualified electrician. The current system does not guarantee this. Rather, it can brand the incompetent as competent.

鈥淯nder the system as it stands the incompetent electrician has their work checked by a qualified supervisor. But we heard of some supervisors supervising over 3,000 notifiable pieces of work a year. I question whether they can adequately check work with such large caseloads.

鈥淯nder the changes we propose people would know that the electrician working in their home is qualified. If, as scheme operators told us, standards of electricians are already high, then the added criteria will not be too onerous.

鈥淒uring the five-year transition there should be an annual limit鈥攁greed by the industry鈥攐n the maximum number of transactions that a single qualified supervisor can review. This will increase the chance that in the interim unqualified electricians will at least be having their work properly checked by a qualified supervisor.鈥�

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