The proposed addition of electrical safety to the Building Regulations in the form of Part P is out for consultation. How contractors will qualify for self-certification of installations seems open to doubt.
The Government has yet to decide how electrical contracting firms can achieve accreditation to allow self-certification of their work in compliance with the proposed Part P of the Building Regulations.

A government spokesperson, speaking at the official launch of the consultation document to introduce electrical safety into the Building Regulations, cast doubt over whether the Electrotechnical Assessment Scheme (EAS) currently being piloted will eventually be deemed as the route to proving competence.

The spokesperson commented: "The ECA has stated that [the EAS] is fully fledged and already claim that it's enough to satisfy the Secretary of State, but no decision has been made on that yet. In due course, should there be a legal requirement, candidature of this and other schemes will be looked at."

The EAS was developed by a working group of the Electrical Installation Industry Liaison Committee in anticipation of the introduction of self-certification. The comments came despite consultation on the EAS in 2000, confidence by the parties involved over its compliance, and previous governmental encouragement.

Phil Buckle, head of technical services at the ECA, responded: "[The EAS] is referred to in the consultative document on Part P, where it is pointed out that the scheme has been developed with the aim of having a system of self-certification in place in advance of possible regulations. In the event of Part P's approval we are confident that the Secretary of State will recognise the scheme under the relevant legislation."

Mike Clark, technical director at the NICEIC commented: "If the proposal is implemented, the NICEIC expects that electrical contractors registered under its long-established Approved Contractor certification scheme will be recognised by government as competent to self-certify."

The consultation document was released in May. Responses are due by 13 September.