Written question asked by Peter Ainsworth (Conservative) on Monday, 4 July 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 July 2005. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Monday, 11 July 2005 on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Oil Firing Technology

Question: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to raise professional standards among oil fired heating installers by means of the oil firing technical association scheme.

Answer: [holding answer 7 July 2005]: The Oil Firing Technical Association for the Petroleum Industry Ltd. (OFTEC) is an industry body which installers can choose to join if they wish. It has robust entry competence standards and continuing training requirements for installers registered with it. Its installers have been found to deliver a high level of compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations.No information is available on the competence level of installers which are not registered with OFTEC. They are under a duty to inform local authorities of all installations that they carry out and the local authorities are responsible for making sure that these installations meet the minimum required standards in the Building Regulations.

Secondary information