Chamber and committees

Scottish Government supports creating a sustainable quality culture across construction sector and protection of consumers is important. Although mandatory licensing is a reserved matter this is an issue we will raise with the construction sector to understand what the options in this area may be. We have also taken forward actions where we can to help consumers avoid rogue traders.

Although the regulation of consumer protection is the responsibility of the UK Government, under the Scotland Act 2016 the Scottish Government has acquired responsibility for consumer advice and advocacy. We are determined to do all we can to reduce impact from rogue traders on people living in Scotland, within the scope of our devolved powers. The Scottish Government has provided funding to the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) to develop and promote an Approved Trader Directory which allows consumers anywhere in Scotland to find if there are any local authority vetted or checked traders in their area.

We understand the threat of rogue traders within the industry and would also point you towards the Strategic Framework within Scotland’s Scams Prevention, Awareness and Enforcement Strategy, published in 19 March 2021, which focusses on prevention, disruption, awareness, education and enforcement. This is intended to help all consumers with practical steps they can take to recognise common scam tactics and avoid the risk posed by this criminal activity.

Further advice can be obtained from consumeradvice.scot which is a free consumer helpline funded by the Scottish Government.

In addition, through the work of the Construction Leadership Forum, Scottish Government is also keen to see renewed focus on construction quality, including regulatory compliance, which will improve life-cycle value to clients and productivity of the industry.