discourage people doing things
properly

Where does it say don't do things right? I specifies proper testing.

Due to increased costs of following Part P, perople don't bother - they just use dodgy ectension
leads etc.

and will be widely ignored,

Then they face prison

Insignificant risk in practice.

bringing the more useful and sensible
building regs into disrepute.

Proof please?

Bleeding obvious. See previous posts in this NG.

I'm not disputing that there may be some
need for regulation in this area, but the
way it has been done shows a mixture
of incompetence and collusion with vested
financial interests that we've come
to expect from this Govt.

Now we have it. It is not about Part P and its benefits, which are many, it
as about ridiculing the government. **** off Tory idiot!!! I wouldn't mind
if you had anything to gain from the Tory party.

Yawn.

and effectively making cowboys out
of the smaller operators that do a perfectly good job.

A small operator has to do it right and get the quals, that's all.
..and pay the fees to the 'competent person cartel'. For many
'jack-of-all-trades' types it;s simply
not worth it, evgen if they were doing an entirely good job previously.

How many small jack-of-all-trades can do proper tests? Er, er, er, none.

How necessary are tests in the majority
of competently installed typical domestic installations
anyway..?

In every one!!!!! Every gas installation has to tested, even of something
minor has been done.

We are talking about electricity, not gas, ****wit.