its members for support during the
year despite the generally poor
trading conditions and increasing
regulation on the sector.
and we welcome your input either
directly to the secretariat or via
your regional representatives. We
hope that all of our members will
put forward ideas for the further
development of the FPS so that we
can continue to provide you with a
Federation which meets your
needs.
Chief Executive
useful conduits for members to
glean the latest industry
information and, just as
importantly, for us to receive
valuable feedback on what is
happening across the country
within the sector.
enabling the FPS to form working groups of interested
parties to develop and put forward joint positions on a
number of topics. This allows more consistent industry
responses and presents a strong, united front to Government
on various important consultations and questions.
it allows the FPS early sight of emerging legislation and
allows the sector to lobby at an early stage in the
development of legislation in order to mitigate its effect on
the industry as a whole.
to take up much FPS time, especially with the Department of
Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and HMRC. In addition to
the usual links with DECC, contingency work arising from the
recent UNITE strike has put further demands on the
Secretariat resources. This has generated the new Petroleum
Drivers Passport which is covered in more detail later in this
report.
Trading report last year, Government, NGOs and other
stakeholders continue to hold a negative view of the sector.
The FPS has been actively working to educate and inform
contacts in Government at all levels to build a more positive
image of our sector. FPS has given evidence to a Select
Committee, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Off-Grid
Energy as well as a recent Round Table chaired by Energy
Minister Michael Fallon. Whilst some improvement in image is
being seen, the FPS acknowledges that long-term work is
needed to establish our industry in a positive light across all
sectors of government.
and meet the requirements of selfregulation the FPS has
embarked on a series of initiatives. The voluntary Code of
Practice nears completion and should be issued by the start of
June; the Fuel Certification Scheme will allow subscribers to
promote the quality of their fuels, protect them against
claims of damage to customers' equipment and allow them to
better organise their depot maintenance. It will also enable
subscribers to identify potential fuel problems early enough
to enable loss cost recovery options. The FPS is currently
reviewing how best to make this service available to its
members at a lower cost.