On 18 August 2020 I lodged a public consultation on a proposed Electricians (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament. Every year, electrical faults cause accidents, shocks, fires and even, in the most extreme cases, death in domestic premises. Ensuring that electrical installations are carried out by properly qualified, experienced and competent electricians is essential to make sure that people are safe in their own homes.There are thousands of electricians across Scotland, carrying out professional work to high standards and improving the safety of people’s homes. However, the cases of poor quality work have potentially dangerous consequences and present a problem for wider society.
My proposed Member's Bill would aim to provide for the protection of title and registration of electricians in Scotland, ensuring that a person who called themselves an 'electrician' was appropriately qualified and registered.
Final proposal
Due to time constraints, it was not possible to introduce the Bill in the 2016-21 session of the Scottish Parliament. However it is my intention to bring forward a further proposal in the sixth Scottish Parliament, in line with the consultation held in 2020, to allow MSPs to consider the merits of these proposals.
Consultation
A public consultation on the proposed Bill ran from 18 August to 10 November 2020 and I would like to thank the many interested bodies, businesses, electricians and members of the public who participated.
You can read the full consultation document on the Scottish Parliament's website here
I was pleased with the extraordinary level of support indicated for regulation and protection of title and hope to be able to refine my proposals in detail based on the responses.
You can read my response to the consultation and an analysis of the consultation responses here (PDF)
Consultation responses
The following are responses submitted to the consultation.
Responses that were submitted 'not for publication' have not been posted here, but have been considered privately. In line with guidance from the Scottish Parliament's Non-Government Bills Unit, redactions may have been made to remove contact details, any identifying information in anonymous responses, certain information relating to third parties and any content that is potentially defamatory, obscene or offensive.