reg 18 Refusal of certificates, and appeals against refusal
(1) Notwithstanding that an applicant for a certificate of competency or for a certificate of equivalent competency complies with the standards or fulfils the conditions specified by, or by virtue of, the foregoing provisions of this Part of these Regulations, the Secretary of State shall not issue or revalidate the appropriate certificate applied for unless he is satisfied, having regard to all the relevant circumstances, that the applicant is a fit person to be the holder of the certificate and to act in the capacity to which it relates. (2) If the Secretary of State intends to refuse the issue or revalidation of a certificate of competency or certificate of equivalent competency for any reason, he shall give notice in writing to the applicant who shall have the right, before a date specified in the notice, to require the application to be reviewed at an inquiry. (3) If an applicant, before the date mentioned in paragraph (2) above, has required his case to be reviewed at an inquiry, in pursuance of that paragraph the Secretary of State shall cause such an inquiry to be held by one or more persons appointed by him.