In comments made to Heating and Ventilating Review, the chair of the Association of Registered Gas Installers (ARGI) has criticised CORGI's record and is publicly backing CIPHE's 'immoral' claim.
ARGI chair Tony Brunton said: 'Following a request from a number of members of ARGI, I am writing as chair of that organisation, as well as their representative on the principal representative body of CORGI, to lend support to the stance adopted by the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, on the appalling behavior of CORGI in the run up to Capita taking over the keeping of the register of gas installers'.
Read
CIPHE 'immoral' claim here.
To legally work with gas, all gas engineers must register with CORGI's gas registration scheme. Capita's Gas Safe Register scheme replaces CORGI's scheme from April 1, 2009. All existing CORGI registered businesses will need to have transferred their registration to Capita's Gas Safe Register scheme by April 1, 2009.
Post April 1, 2009, CORGI will run a voluntary membership scheme.
Referring to CORGI's new voluntary scheme, Tony Brunton said: 'What CORGI is doing is playing on the fear of change, that most of us wrestle with from time to time. In doing so it is creating yet another income stream to replace the registration fees they won't be collecting this year. Before anyone pays over their money could I ask them to remember the following fact;
'When did anyone ask you for your CORGI card and if they did, did they know to look on both the front and the back for your details. If the answer is no or very few, does this not indicate a failure on the part of CORGI to make the public aware'.
Tony Brunton said ARGI as technical supporter to CO awareness is gathering evidence of alleged incompetence by the organisation related to projects.
Brunton said: 'Blane Judd [CIPHE CEO] claims that the action being taken now by CORGI is immoral. I would say that it is not the first time and unless some way is found to curtail their activities it will certainly not be the last'.
In response to his comments, a spokesman for CORGI said 'Mr Brunton’s views are well known.
'It is interesting that, despite his criticisms, he chooses to remain on the Board of Members of the CORGI Trust'.
To learn more about how to register onto Capita's Gas Safe Register scheme before April 1, 2009 click
here