Caution urged over Part P consultation
With the highly anticipated Part P consultation now underway, electrical wholesaler Newey & Eyre is urging the government to remain cautious rather than removing it altogether. As mentioned earlier this month in EP (Part P public consultation launched), the government has announced a consultation process regarding the current Part P of the Building Regulations.
The review is being undertaken following industry concern that it places an unnecessary burden on homeowners and electricians by increasing costs and bureaucracy. It is envisaged that the consultation could result in three potential outcomes; leaving things as they are, scrapping the legislation completely or that it be revised to remove the inconvenience and resultant costs.
Mark Fiddy, Commercial Director at Newey & Eyre (pictured), said: “While we understand it is important that something is done to speed up and increase new and retrofit installations and in turn boost our sector, we would urge a degree of caution in any relaxation of the current legislation. The whole point of Part P is to eradicate accidents, deaths and fires caused by poor electrical work and improve standards while protecting homeowners from unsafe work carried out by unskilled and unqualified trades people.
“If lower level work is carried out by unregistered practitioners and then left to be tested and inspected by a qualified electrician, there is always the chance that this may not happen and something could slip through the net.
“At Newey & Eyre we believe that the safety of the electrician and end user is paramount. While at times the additional cost and associated paperwork of a correct installation may appear to be frustrating, the idea that Part P could be completely scrapped without a suitable replacement legislation is concerning.
“We will be watching how the consultation process evolves with great interest and would encourage our industry colleagues, suppliers and customers to also make their voices heard. If we are to ensure standards are correctly maintained for the protection of electricians and contractors as well as the end user, we need to ensure Part P remains in place.”
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