John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I support the Bill introduced by Senator Higgins and I commend him on the efforts he has made in drafting it. I am somewhat disappointed by the Government's failure to take on board the provisions of the Bill. As has been outlined by previous speakers, it is not overly technical legislation; it simply tries to place a legal framework on a system which has no legal standing. Electrical contractors are very much self-regulated and, therefore, it is an opportune time for Senator Higgins to introduce the Bill. I listened to many of the previous contributions and Senator Coghlan spoke in detail about fires caused by faulty electrical work. I have personal experience of this in that my family experienced a fire caused by faulty electrical work.

The Bill seeks to deal with electricity, which is a dangerous but essential tool in modern society. The system whereby electrical contractors are self-regulated is outdated and needs to revised. I take on board what the Minister said. He referred to the Commission for Energy Regulation, which specifically said the framework in this Bill is too rigid. We are dealing with what is potentially a lethal product. Surely, it is essential that whatever legal framework is put in place is rigid. It is a ridiculous comment for the commission to make because rigidity is important in regard to electricity, which is fatal if not dealt with correctly.

In recent years there has been a considerable increase in construction, whether in terms of housing or buildings for commercial use. We have also seen a large increase in the number of people – builders, carpenters, electricians, etc. – employed in the construction industry. It is timely and essential that we put in place a legislative framework to deal with an area which has expanded in recent years in terms of the number of practitioners involved in it.