Following a report published on Tuesday from the Select Committee into Building Regulations Certification for domestic electrical work, the long anticipated single electricians register is finally ready to launch, with an official go live date of the 30th June 2014. The register has been developed by all DCLG authorised full scope electrical competent person scheme operators. This is following a recommendation made by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, to produce a single point of reference register that consumers can use to find an electrician to carry out work in their home.
However, the register is not mandatory. The recommendations from the NICEIC and ELECSA brands back in March urged caution and that an industry sense check was required. Both the NICEIC and ELECSA welcome the fact Government has listened to the industry and support it's response.
Although the NICEIC and ELECSA put forward some positive recommendations and supported parts of the select committee report, there were some points in the report which the NICEIC and ELECSA felt were not explored thoroughly and did not reflect the true state of the industry.
Registered Competent Person Electrical
In addition to the register which will list all full scope Part P registered electricians in England and Wales, there will be the introduction of the Registered Competent Person Electrical logo, which has been designed to be instantly recognisable as a mark of quality for consumers. The logo features a house and plug socket design.
The aim is to provide an easy to use consumer focussed website with a recognisable mark which will make finding a qualified and registered electrician (known as a competent person) easier than ever before.
How electricians get on the register
All full scope Part P electricians in England and Wales, which will only include electricians who carry out domestic work, will be added to Registered Competent Person Electrical automatically by their scheme provider and will be entitled and encouraged to use the mark from the 30th June 2014.
More about the launch of Registered Competent Person Electrical
An official launch event will take place on 2 July 2014 in the Palace of Westminster, where the Minister for Communities and Local Government, Stephen Williams MP, will give a key note speech to a wide array of key industry stakeholders and MPs, alongside NAPIT Group Chief Executive Officer, Michael Andrews and Chief Executive Officer of Certsure, Emma Clancy.
Commenting on the upcoming launch of the register, Michael Andrews said: “Registered Competent Person Electrical is a milestone achievement and a great step forward for the electrical industry. All Full Scope electricians carrying out electrical work in dwellings in England and Wales can be easily identified via the new mark and listed on a user-friendly register.”
Emma Clancy added: “The new website - electricalcompetentperson.co.uk - will become the one stop shop for consumers looking to hire an electrician to carry out work in their home.
“With the support of all scheme operators and DCLG, and with the charity Electrical Safety First spearheading a targeted consumer marketing campaign, levels of consumer awareness will rise significantly.”