FETA chairman Nick Howlett gave a speech which included comment on poor payment practices: “Momentum is beginning to emerge concerning, for example, retentions,” he said, “but we are adamant that topic needs legislation, as relying on voluntary codes of practice is farcical. We applaud the Government’s initiative to force companies to report their payment stats but we await with interest any signs that they are really prepared to do anything about the underlying problem.”

With regards to refrigerants, Mr Howlett acknowledged the call for more information on risk assessments: 'Our A2L refrigerants working group has released further guidance on Risk Assessments and more application-specific guides will be following later.  The drive behind this is very much about increasing awareness - with safety uppermost.'

Mr Howlett also spoke about the issue of indoor air quality and the assurance from MHCLG that for the forthcoming Building Regulations review they “will look at reviewing the evidence on indoor pollutants and potentially recalculating ventilation rates to reflect any changes”. He noted that HEVAC in particular is very willing to help in the forthcoming review.

He concluded with a call to support the inaugural World refrigeration Day on 26 June.

The guest speaker for the event was BBC journalist and presenter Justin Webb who spoke primarily about his time as North America Editor and experiences within the White House.