Originally Posted by
expat
Here's how it's been working in France:
In order to buy HCFCs and HFCs you have to be registered with the Prefecture (regional admin authority). To do this you have to send them various documents including:
copy of suitable qualification
copies of receipts proving ownership of certain tools listed by them (electronic gas detector, vac pump, recuperation bottle, etc).
company registration information
list of types of equipment you would be working on
They will then issue you with a letter stating your registration number on it.
This letter must be presented to your distributors when you open an account. They note your number and can then, legally, sell you gas.
Your obligation is to keep a log of what you do with the gas and note your stocks at the end of each year together with a list of gasses recuperated.
After five years you send these archives to the Prefecture and if they are satisfied that you have been following good working practices they will reissue you with a new letter covering you for the next five years, and so on.
I'm getting to the point now!
It sounds to me that in England you are going to have the same situation with local aurthorities handling the show. So, be warned that (possibly due to a lack of man power to police the situation) this method is being abandonned as it has been a hopeless failure. Distributors could not care less wheather you have this accreditation or not and sell gas to anyone who appears to be a proffesional.
A new method is now in place and will be implemented as of July 2009. It is the same as that described above with three diffeneces:
1 Private organisations will be running the show
2 You will be visited and interviewed during the five year period to examine the state of your equipment and your level of competence.
3 It will cost me, as a one man band, 3500 euros to receive my certificate.
This is how they are going to get it together in the time frame. By making us pay:(
I was shocked when I received that quote this week and now thinking about it I don't think France will be the only country to come up with such a solution. So, as I said, be warned.