The groundswell of opinion in favour of the campaign for protection of title for electricians has continued into 2024 with a New Year declaration of support from another four prominent members of the Scottish Parliament.
Former Business and Trade Minister Ivan McKee and ex-Transport Minister Kevin Stewart have both shown their backing for regulation of the industry by signing up to the Wall of Support being spearheaded by SELECT, Scotland’s largest construction trade body.
The duo have been joined by Conservative MSPs Craig Hoy and Oliver Mundell as the long-running campaign continues to attract cross-party support from all political factions.
Mr McKee, SNP MSP for Glasgow Provan, said: “Our future heating and energy demands will be met by technology such as solar panels, battery storage and electric heating, which means that electricians will play an ever-increasing role in all our lives.
“Regulation would provide the reassurance that someone calling themself an electrician was qualified to undertake such work and would also enhance the profession’s status and reputation. That’s why I am backing SELECT’s campaign to regulate electricians by introducing protection of title for the profession of electrician.”
Mr Stewart, who is the SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, said: “Being an electrician is a safety critical profession, so it vital that only those people with appropriate skills and qualifications carry out such work.
“Using a qualified electrician gives consumers the confidence that they are employing an expert who undertakes continued professional development and regular assessments to ensure they maintain the highest standards of safety and technical integrity at all times.”
Mr Hoy, who represents South Scotland, signed up to the Wall of Support after visiting SELECT headquarters in Penicuik and speaking to senior staff last month.
He said: “There are thousands of people in Scotland claiming to be electricians without adequate training or certification. This is a serious risk to public safety, and we need support in law for qualified electricians.”
Mr Mundell, who holds the Dumfries-shire seat, added: “It is vitally important that consumers are helped to make informed choices whenever they employ an electrician.”
The latest expressions of solidarity follows the addition last year of Labour MSP and businessman Foysol Choudhury and leading construction organisations the Building Safety Group, LINIAN, Flexel and Hager.
SELECT Managing Director Alan Wilson said: “As we enter another year in our long-running campaign, it is particularly heartening to receive even more support from prominent parliamentarians, particularly those who have served in a ministerial capacity.
“AT SELECT, we feel there is a growing understanding of the validity of the case that is being made for electricians, who will be the professionals we turn to as we transition to net zero and an electric future
“The campaign, which focuses on safety in the home and in businesses, has been a long, hard road, but there is a sense that we are entering the end game and we will continue to focus all our efforts in bringing it to a successful conclusion.”
Mr Wilson added: “The new names on the Wall clearly illustrate that, while the campaign is under consideration in the Scottish Parliament, and has Westminster MP support for raising the matter in the House of Commons, support is still very much a live issue.”
By putting their names on a virtual brick in the Wall, supporters are taking a public stance underlines their backing for legislation in Holyrood which would make it an offence for someone to call themselves an electrician when they have no, or inadequate, qualifications.
SELECT has been leading the campaign for years with other industry bodies, including the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) and Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) to ensure that those who work in the industry do so in a safe and competent manner.
As well as more than a third of MSPs, other bodies that have contributed a brick to the wall include Unite the Union, Electrical Safety First, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Scottish Association of Landlords, the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group and the Energy Saving Trust.
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