RPA Inspection of Equipment Bought Under Original FETF Grant

[Frank-the-Wool]

I have had a call today saying that They want too inspect the equipment we bought under the FETF grant.

It is not a problem as we have all of it in working order. However they want the original invoices and bank statements to show we paid for it and also when we received the grant money.
looking back I realised this was in June 2018 and if my memory serves me correctly after 5 years we can sell the equipment.

Is it not also too late to inspect all of the original transactions as well?

 

[Farma Parma]

heard a good one a fellow got a big DD & 2years later wanted rid of it ah but you cant sell it as you say until its atleast 5yr old.

 

[serf]

There's going to be some major trip ups for folk with these grants and hoop jumping schemes ,
they either forget about the rules cos the years have gone by or don't do the 'correct tick in correct box' and gov turn up with their hand out ...

All ok if all works out but when folks are putting their whole place down to thistles and the clipboard revokes it Ur feked !

 

[Quaddog]

Surely they’ve seen all the invoices when you claimed? Might want to check you still have it for five years, but would have thought your time was past.

 

[Banana Bar]

heard a good one a fellow got a big DD & 2years later wanted rid of it ah but you cant sell it as you say until its atleast 5yr old.

Not a problem, the requirement is to pay back the proportion left on the 5yr deal. I know as I’ve done it.

BB

 

[Flatland guy]

I have had a call today saying that They want too inspect the equipment we bought under the FETF grant.

It is not a problem as we have all of it in working order. However they want the original invoices and bank statements to show we paid for it and also when we received the grant money.
looking back I realised this was in June 2018 and if my memory serves me correctly after 5 years we can sell the equipment.

Is it not also too late to inspect all of the original transactions as well?

Technically they are just following up which IMO is good. Even after five years you can show the equipment or if it is just out of five year requirement just show invoice dated when equipment sold. You have to keep all financial transactions for six years and the inspector will be trained to emphasise that. Otherwise the scheme is open to fraud.
I have heard one or two selling equipment before the five year period whether they did the honourable thing is open to debate. But if you take the UK gov money you have to abide to their rules.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Technically they are just following up which IMO is good. Even after five years you can show the equipment or if it is just out of five year requirement just show invoice dated when equipment sold. You have to keep all financial transactions for six years and the inspector will be trained to emphasise that. Otherwise the scheme is open to fraud.
I have heard one or two selling equipment before the five year period whether they did the honourable thing is open to debate. But if you take the UK gov money you have to abide to their rules.

But I presume they cannot do anything about penalising you after the 5 years have elapsed.

 

[Flatland guy]

But I presume they cannot do anything about penalising you after the 5 years have elapsed.

As long as was sold after five years not a problem. Only a difficult conversation if cannot prove still have machine or when it was sold/disposed of(i.e. sold it prior to five years old) and have not informed the relevant authority and paid back the correct amount.

Let me give an example buy a machine for 25K, you pay 18K, UK gov pay 7K you could the next day sell machine for 21K and effectively pocket 3k of money for only a bit of hassle. This is effectively what they are looking for fraud of the scheme rules.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

My point is that I do have all the kit still, but as it is after the 5 years what is the point of them coming to inspect and look at all the now ancient paper work.
What penalty can they apply?
I can spend a lot of time looking out all the old bank statements from 5 and half years ago plus all the original invoices.
This would be valid if it was within the 5 years, but outside of it I don't believe that if I had flogged it that it is enforceable?

 

[Wesley]

My point is that I do have all the kit still, but as it is after the 5 years what is the point of them coming to inspect and look at all the now ancient paper work.
What penalty can they apply?
I can spend a lot of time looking out all the old bank statements from 5 and half years ago plus all the original invoices.
This would be valid if it was within the 5 years, but outside of it I don't believe that if I had flogged it that it is enforceable?

To prove that if you have sold it that it is outside of the 5 years & not in breach of the conditions you agreed to when you accepted the grant.

 

[Badshot]

It's a box ticking exercise I'd have thought.
Even if it's out of the required spec for the grant there's little they could do now, especially if it's been sold prior to receiving the notification.......

 

[renewablejohn]

Just double check its 5 years before you can sell as I had a government grant that was 7 years and would catch some people out selling early.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Just double check its 5 years before you can sell as I had a government grant that was 7 years and would catch some people out selling early.

It is definitely 5 years, but importantly it is 5 years from when they paid you the grant money.

In my case 20th December 2018 so they are cutting it fine!!!!

 

[Walton2]

Also, they will be demonstrating “light touch”, so nothing to worry about.

 

[Cow1]

I had an inspection yesterday. All straight forward as all my items were easily accessible and the items were paid for within a month of each so finding the invoices and bank statements was easy. Half an hour exercise but it took 2 Rpa inspectors to do it. They said they had come past my farm the day before and thought about doing it then but they might be pushing it to fit two inspections in in one day

 

[Flatland guy]

I had an inspection yesterday. All straight forward as all my items were easily accessible and the items were paid for within a month of each so finding the invoices and bank statements was easy. Half an hour exercise but it took 2 Rpa inspectors to do it. They said they had come past my farm the day before and thought about doing it then but they might be pushing it to fit two inspections in in one day

Pushing it to fit 2 inspections in one day!!! How long was they on site I presume no more than an hour, and just how long would it take them to complete a standard report form of the inspection probably.... photo or two of said equipment and a pic or two of invoice downloaded and put into report 30- 40 mins at most for accomplished IT person which you naturally presume the inspectors are. But then the hierarchy would probably discipline them if they did do 2 inspections in one day. Crazy world and civil servants logic!

 

[Nearly]

I had an inspection yesterday. All straight forward as all my items were easily accessible and the items were paid for within a month of each so finding the invoices and bank statements was easy. Half an hour exercise but it took 2 Rpa inspectors to do it. They said they had come past my farm the day before and thought about doing it then but they might be pushing it to fit two inspections in in one day

But that's only 4 a week.

 

[EJS]

My neighbour had this very recently- inspecting invoices for claim for 170m of stock fencing 6yrs ago. RPA had already had copies of invoices with claim but wanted to inspect fence and see that invoices had been kept as per instructions to keep invoices for 7yrs.
She was fined for having an insufficient invoice for staples claimed. She thought she'd probably used up a store of them first but was fined £128 - really seemed rather excessive and not a light touch.

 

[tullah]

If the said machine has been parted with then surely prior to an inspection one could borrow a similar machine to plonk in the yard. The reverse of what we do when we play games with the rt jobsworth.

 

[Hindsight]

If the said machine has been parted with then surely prior to an inspection one could borrow a similar machine to plonk in the yard. The reverse of what we do when we play games with the rt jobsworth.

You would need to be sure that the serial number had not been identified in the initial evidence of purchase submitted five or seven years ago.