The Approval of Enforcement Agencies Regulations 2000

Conditions to be satisfied by agency

4.—(1) The conditions in the following paragraphs of this regulation must be satisfied by the agency.

(2) The agency and the committee must have entered into a contract complying with the requirements of regulation 6.

(3) The committee must be satisfied that the agency has in place procedures for producing annual accounts that will satisfy professional standards of accounting practice and the requirements of—

(a) the Companies Acts, if the agency is a company; and

(b) the Taxes Acts, in any event.

(4) The committee must be satisfied that the agency has in place adequate systems for training its staff in the law and practice relating to—

(a) the enforcement of warrants;

(b) human rights; and

(c) health and safety.

(5) The committee must be satisfied that the agency has in place adequate systems for assessing the risks to individuals arising from the enforcement of warrants.

(6) The committee must be satisfied that the agency has an adequate system for dealing with complaints and for co-operating with any complaints procedure maintained by the committee.

(7) The agency must provide security to the committee in respect of any loss arising from the committee’s use of the agency’s services, in an amount to be determined by the committee but not less than £10,000.

(8) The agency must have professional indemnity insurance in an amount and on terms approved by the committee.

(9) The agency must maintain a separate account for money collected by it on behalf of the committee or of any magistrates' court within the area of the committee; and if it is approved by more than one committee it must maintain records showing what sums in that account are held in connection with the agency’s work for each committee.

(10) The committee must be satisfied that the agency has in place adequate systems for ensuring that it can satisfy its liabilities to the committee in the event of a failure of the agency’s business.