REGULATION FEATURES
T e fight to get regulation right
In a recent exclusive video interview with SELECT, MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston outlined why regulation of the industry is so vital – and why the recent consultation on his proposed Member’s Bill could fi nally help make it a reality
Hi Jamie, how did you become interested in the issue of regulation? It’s an issue I’ve been aware of for some time, even before I was an MSP. I knew that electrician wasn’t a regulated profession and that many people had concerns about it, so I was happy to take it forward. It’s a key issue and one that a lot of people aren’t aware of.
So why is regulation the answer to some of the issues facing today’s industry?
Electrical problems cause real issues such as fi res, damage to homes, injury and even death, so there’s the safety issue for a start. But it’s about confi dence and awareness too. A lot of consumers aren’t aware that if they see an advert for somebody claiming to be an electrician, they can’t know if that person has any qualifi cations. Most people just assume it’s already a regulated profession, so that’s why we need a clear and single register of electricians and perhaps a company-buyer single market so that consumers can feel confi dent that they’re getting somebody who’s got training. It’s also important that electricians are recognised for the huge amount of eff ort they put into their skills and training. We don’t want to put extra burden on electricians, so we’re not
looking for a complicated solution with extra red tape. We want a very simple approach that will allow electricians who are trained and are on this register to carry out their work easily.
How important was the consultation on regulation that recently closed? Consultation is a very important step in the process of introducing a Member’s Bill. It allows MSPs from outside the government to show their support for
a particular issue, but is also a way that proposals can be discussed and scrutinised and any practical concerns raised. The consultation process is part of making sure that we get that proposal right – that’s why we wanted to hear from as many people as possible, including SELECT Members. To paraphrase someone far more famous than me, this is one small step, but it’s an important one.
What do you hope the Bill will achieve? Protection of title will give consumers the confi dence that the person they employ is an electrician who has the necessary qualifi cations. It also protects those electricians that have those qualifi cations and means that they will benefi t by trust in the sector being improved. And of course, that means
T e MSP is one of dozens who are backing our campaign on our Wall of Support
28 CABLEtalk DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021
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