[quote author=squiggle link=1082102999/0#13 date=1082145393]Seems like I was the guilty party in not understanding you HM. Sorry. [/quote]
No need to be sorry - one of the unfortunate drawbacks about written communication is that it's so easy to miss the point, whereas if you were discussing it over a pint you'd be able to see the smiles and furrowed brows, and get instant follow up.....
Quote:As for how things go, I wish there was a means for anyone to do the job but have some sort of inspection, though I'm not sure how feasable that would be or how costly it may be. I'd honestly be happier if, on the rare occasion I tried something like this that an electrician could later be called in to say "yes that's OK" or call me an idiot and tell me to redo the job.
I have a letter here from Nick Raynsford MP, who is the minister charged with introducing Part P. In that letter, written September 2003, it expressly informs me that I can do the electrical job and then have the local council check it out, for a cost of course which is to be expected.
So in September when I received that response I immediately phoned the maintenance supervisor at the council to enquire what the cost would be. His response was "what inspection? central government haven't told us anything about this!". I explained and the guy says "oh that, I know about that because I'm in the NICEIC and it has been a rumour for a while". But he still couldn't give me a cost because they hadn't budgeted for it and didn't know precisely what it would entail.
He did suggest it would probably be something like the window inspections that they carry out, so the cost would be at least £70 and possibly £300 if it involved a fair amount of work (which a full electrical inspection would).
To which I replied words to the effect that "so I do a job of changing a light fitting, charge the customer £30 for two hours work, and customer then has to pay a bill of £300 to ensure that I did it safely?". His answer was yes, that was correct as he knew it. Customers are going to be really happy about this.....
Subsequently, 6 months on, it appears that central government have pulled up the ladder on that arrangement, and it won't now be possible to do work and have it inspected after the event.
I don't object to improved safety being an objective, and if that means I can't do the work based upon some rational decision process which I don't meet then fine. But I'm really ticked off that government tell me it's all about safety and then in the same breath say it'll be perfectly okay for the homeowner to carry on regardless. I do see logic in the Australian system which disallows anyone from fiddling with electrics unless they are properly qualified - that makes a lot of sense.
Sorry, I didn't mean to rant
Andrew