That's where it seems many would disagree with you.
You know what I meant - i.e. "electrically safer". One could, of course, require that everything within a domestic dwelling which was powered by electricity, or which contained 'electrical connections', had to be within a 'non-combustible enclosure', but I envisage that might result in a few problems
(and it wouldn't necessarily be restricted to LV electricity and/or to 'mains-powered' things, since items with lithium batteries have been known to burst into flames!)Fair enough, but that's surely very much the exception, rather than the rule? Don't you agree that by far the majority of significant fires which originate in CUs (which, I suspect, is a very rare occurrence in the first place) are due to 'poor connections', rather than faulty devices?
As I've said, it not really as simply as that. I could mirror your statement by writing that metal domestic CUs "will at some point (if it hasn't already happened) undoubtedly cost people's lives" - so one has to consider both sides of the equation before being able to decide whether it is beneficial or detrimental 'progress'.
I think you are right in that since the inspector does not know the date, and even if he did would likely not have a copy covering that year, hence why code 4 was dropped. I accept I may not have phrased it correctly.
Of course I can't, but that doesn't mean that it has never happened.
I don't doubt that (although I suspect that many fires originating in even 'combustible' CUs don't result in significant 'house fires'). However, what about the countless other 'combustible' electrical accessories and appliances (some of which involve substantial currents and/or are designed to generate substantial amounts of heat) found in domestic premises?
Not as such. What I am saying is ...
I have several in my house, all plastic, and I'm perfectly happy with that.
has been around for a long time and I don't know of any problems, OK burnt contacts 
where the heavy duty version 
has not been used, but it was the use of plastic which was the problem, it was the build quality and the fact type approval was given to sub standard designs. The type approval should have ensured better build quality. The cure would have been to remove the type approval for units which had fire problems, we have not banned washer/driers because one make was going on fire.
I don't think people are forgetting it - but, rather, are stuck with metal ones because non-metal ones which would qualify as 'non-combustible' either do not exist or else are not identified as being adequately 'non-combustible' to satisfy the regulation.
I'm not sure that 'disagree' is quite the right word. I accept your viewpoint, my main questions relating to whether the (undoubtedly finite, but I suspect extremely small) risk is large enough to warrant wide-ranging action (affecting every domestic installation in the UK) and whether it is reasonable to 'single out' CUs in this context - what about "badly manufactured or badly installed" shower isolators, for example?
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