Current status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 10 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication in June 2019 of the research paper, The Regulation of electricians in Scotland, whether it has commenced work on any of the four recommended steps detailed in the report's section 6, "Business Case".
Scottish Government agrees that anyone carrying out electrical work should be appropriately qualified. However, the regulation of electricians is complex.
The Scotland Act reserves the regulation of the sale of goods and services and consumer protection to the UK Parliament. This means that Scottish Parliament may not have the devolved competence to legislate in this area.
Scottish Government has previously considered the regulation of electricians further to the advice of the Electricians Working Group. However, there are no plans to re-establish the group or legislate at this time. We will keep our position under review and continue in the meantime to invest in consumer advice and advocacy services.
We would urge consumers to always use trusted websites when contracting a tradesperson to carry out work, including:
Trading Standards Trusted Trader website: Learn about Trading Standards Trusted Trader
Electrical Safety First website: Electricians Scotland | Electrical Safety First
Electrical Competent Person website: Home
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