The Government’s Green Deal must not “see a repeat” of the deaths in Australia following its green insulation project, a UK MP said.

Luciana Berger, Shadow Minister for Climate Change made the remarks at a conference yesterday about the safety and skills needed for the Green Deal.

She referred to Australia’s ‘Green Loans Program’ in 2010, which had to be abandoned following a number of accidents and many lives lost.

According to Australian reports, some workers died whilst installing insulations and others were electrocuted. It was also claimed proper training was not provided and quality control of assessors was not carried out.

Ms Berger said the Government seriously needs to address the skills of workers: “An emphasis must be placed on the skills of the workforce carrying out the Green Deal – and that’s for both assessors and installers, ensuring that work done on the Green Deal is suitable and of the highest standard.”

The safety of consumers was also a key topic, focusing on the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Ms Berger said many people still die from accidental poisoning, which can be prevented by having an alarm properly fitted and maintained.

Energy Minister Greg Barker, who was also present at the conference, said all installations for the Green Deal must be certified to industry standards.