Ms Sheelagh Rooney:

The scheme audits and inspects the installers who are registered. They are subject to yearly audits and inspections of their work.

On the policing system, to tackle people who are either carrying out work when they are not registered or portraying themselves as registered when they are not, we rely on the public or anybody in the industry to alert us to this fact, and that is why the publicity awareness part of the scheme is important. It is essential that the public and the industry know what are the requirements. People alert us to allegations of illegal work undertaken in their homes by someone who is not registered or someone who is portraying himself as registered when he is not. A number of our personnel are dedicated gas safety officers and they will open up a case based on the allegation and go through a full and rigorous process, taking witness statements, etc., in line with best practice procedures. It is important for us to ensure we have a solid case before going to court. We are satisfied with the process we have in place because every prosecution we have brought has been successful. In summary, we rely on people reporting to us and then we act on those reports but anyone can make those reports either anonymously or otherwise.

If somebody is registered and has carried out work that the public is dissatisfied with, the RGII is contacted and that will be investigated and potentially lead to disciplinary action against the registered gas installer who could then be suspended from the scheme.