Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory licensing for builders.

This Government is working to ensure we have a high-quality and professional construction industry, with consumer protection at the heart of this. TrustMark, sponsored by the Department and licenced by the Government, is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme that covers work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. TrustMark already offers its consumers and businesses access to the Trusted Payment App announced by BIST as part of its protections against rogue builders.

Any action that the Government takes on licensing to protect customers and standards needs to be robust, proportionate and evidence based.