MSP Clare Adamson backs campaign to regulate electricians

Clare Adamson, Convener of Holyrood’s Cross Party Group on Accident Prevention and Safety has become the latest member of the Scottish Parliament to back the campaign to regulate electricians and supports SELECT, the electrotechnical trade association, for raising awareness by campaigning for recognition of Electricians as a Profession.

Clare, who is the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, has added her name to the Wall of Support, a striking graphic representation of the ever-growing numbers of organisations and individuals backing the campaign.

Clare said: “I am very aware of the importance of Electrical Safety. Consumers deserve the assurance that when they engage the services of an electrician that the person is qualified and accredited to complete the work safely and to the highest industry standard. SELECT’s campaign to have the trade of Electrician recognised as a profession has shone a light on this issue and I support the progress being made in regulation of this industry to ensure that my constituents are protected and can have confidence going forward.”

Ms Adamson’s endorsement of the campaign adds to widespread backing across the construction industry for the move which is also backed by the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) and Unite the Union.

The Wall of Support illustrates vividly the strength of feeling across a huge range of disciplines that being an electrician is a highly-skilled and professional occupation and that those who practise it must be suitably qualified.

Alan Wilson, Acting Managing Director at SELECT, said: ““The Wall shows in a dramatic fashion the strength of feeling that exists within the construction sector about the issue of professional recognition. We would like to thank Clare for backing us in such a public manner. Our aim is that in future no one in Scotland should have to tolerate the anxiety and upset to which she and her family have been exposed.

Bodies which have contributed a brick in the Wall include: Electrical Safety First, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS); the Scottish Association of Landlords; the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group; the Association of Electrical Safety Managers; Energy Action Scotland; BAM Construction; the Scottish Building Federation; the Federation of Master Builders; and the Energy Saving Trust.

For more information please contact Alan Wilson, Acting Managing Director at SELECT, the Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland, The Walled Garden, Bush Estate, Midlothian, EH26 0SB. T: 0131 445 5577. F: 0131 445 5548. E: admin@select.org.uk. W: www.select.org.uk