Written question asked by Michael Wheeler (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 January 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 11 February 2025 (named day). It was answered by Alex Norris (Labour) on Tuesday, 11 February 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Electricians: Certification

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the competent person schemes model for domestic electrical installation.

Answer: The Government takes electrical safety very seriously and the Building Regulations require work to homes’ fixed electrical systems to be carried out safely to protect people from fire and injury. Government-backed schemes exist to ensure domestic electricians are qualified and registered and can self-certify their work. This is an essential part of safety protections and is one of several schemes – called the competent person schemes – that oversee the competence of tradespeople in many disciplines by considering their qualifications and experience as well as inspecting samples of their work. There are no plans to replace this model. Government does consider applications from new scheme providers periodically but there are no plans currently to invite new applications.

Secondary information