§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what minimum standards of qualification apply to operators entering premises for the purposes of repairs or fitting any gas appliance or pipe; what changes have been made since 1984; and what change he plans.
§ Mr. OppenheimThe Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1984 require anyone who works with gas fittings supplied with gas through pipes to be competent. The Health and Safety Commission's approved code of practice "Standards of training in safe gas installation" of 1987 fleshes out the concept of competence as a combination of knowledge, practical skill and experience.
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 1990 require that all gas installation businesses working with fittings supplied with gas through pipes must be a member of a class of persons approved by the Health and Safety Executive.
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994 which come into force on 31 October this year, consolidate the 1984 and 1990 regulations into a singe regulatory package. From 1 April 1995, the regulations will extend the requirement to be a member of a class of persons approved by HSE to those working with gas fittings not supplied through pipes—for example, gas supplied from tanks and cylinders.