Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes to portable appliance testing were implemented as a result of the relevant recommendations on pages 9 and 57 of the Lofstedt report on Reclaiming Health and Safety for All, Cm 8219, 28 November 2011.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revised its guidance (INDG236 Maintaining portable electric equipment in low-risk environments) to emphasise that suggested intervals for portable appliance testing were only suggestions and not intended to be prescriptive. In addition, HSE clarified advice on its webpages stressing that simple and proportionate actions are required to comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, this advice can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm.