Construction minister Brian Wilson has warned contractors to sign up to the quality mark scheme now so that they will benefit when there is less work in the future.
Wilson expressed concern at the future of the scheme after it was revealed that only 366 contractors are fully accredited to the anti-rogue trader initiative.

He said that that number was not enough to make the scheme a success and that he was seeking to gain a more contractors by partnering with trade association accreditation schemes.

"My message to contractors would be to sign up now, as in the future there may not be as much work and they may well need such a scheme to win work," he said.

Wilson added that he had not insisted that the scheme reach a given target by a given time. He said he was happy that it had enough resources.

He added that that the quality mark could be used as an umbrella symbol for construction trade association competency schemes.

We still have a long way to go with the quality mark in terms of coverage

Construction minister Brian Wilson

Wilson pledged his support for the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association's third-party accreditation scheme launched this month.

The HVCA accreditation scheme, however, does not automatically give members quality mark status, as it does not fulfil all of the government standards. HVCA members rejected the quality mark's annual inspection and warranty scheme and have opted to keep their own three-year competency inspections and warranty procedure.

Wilson said that both schemes are based on similar third-party assessment mechanisms. He said the benefits in terms of transparency and credibility, both in the industry and to the general public, were immense.