The new licensing scheme will require all premises or vehicles where any of the specified special procedures (acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and/or tattooing) performed by licensed practitioners to be approved. The approval certificate will be issued to the person responsible for the business at a premises (this may be the owner, manager or practitioner - they do no need to be performing the procedures themselves and may not be directly employing practitioners). If a practitioner holds a special procedure licence but is an employee, or rents a chair/room in someone else's business, then they do not need to have their own premises/vehicle approval certificate but must still make sure that they only operate from an approved premises or vehicle.
It will be an offence for a practitioner to carry out a special procedure without a licence or to perform any procedures from premises or vehicles that are not approved. It will also be an offence not to comply with the specific requirements detailed in the regulation for practitioners and premises/vehicles.
How to apply
Application from premises that are not already registered
New premises/vehicles that are not already registered under the 1982 act on the coming into force date (expected October-November 2024) will not qualify for the transition arrangements. These premises cannot be used for any of the specified special procedures until they have been approved (and where applicable, the practitioners are licensed) under the new scheme.
As the scheme has not yet come into place, applications are not currently being accepted. The link to the electronic application process will appear here before/on the coming into force date.
Application from existing registered premises
Premises that are currently registered under the existing requirements of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 will be required to apply for their own premises approval certificate and, if necessary, a special procedure licence.
Those responsible for a business, where the premises has an existing registration, will have 3 months from coming into force date, to submit an application for an approval and will benefit from a transitional licence. This transitional approval will allow existing premises to operate a special procedures business, as per their current registration document, whilst the new licence application is being submitted (practitioners must also be licensed or be covered under these transitional arrangement to perform any special procedure at these premises).
A transitional licence/approval certificate will be automatically issued to all existing registered premises and practitioners, and there will be no requirement for you to apply for this.
An application for an approval under the new scheme must be made within this 3 month period.
If an application has not been made for a premises/vehicle approval certificate by the end of the 3 months transition period, then these premises will no longer be legally allowed to be used by practitioners to practice any of the specified special procedures. There will be no exceptions to the requirement to obtain a approval certificate and no extensions of time to this transitional period.
Fees
The fees below are proposed for each approval certificate, temporary approval certificate or for other variations. An application is not treated as having been made until the application fee has been received and cleared.
| Licence Type | New | Renewal |
|---|
| Approved Premises Certificate (3 years). |
£385.00 |
£345.00 |
| Licence Fees | Fee |
|---|
| Approved Premises/vehicle – Temporary Approval (ancillary event) |
£385.00 |
| Approved Premises/vehicle – Temporary Approval (convention/main purpose) |
£680.00 |
| Variation of Approved Premises/vehicle Certificate (add procedure) |
£189.00 |
| Variation of Approved Premises/vehicle Certificate (structural change) |
£189.00 |
| Variation of Approved Premises/vehicle Certificate (change of detail) |
£26.00 |
Licence period
The Approved Premises Certificate lasts for a period of 3 years from the date the licence is issued. Temporary certificates are valid for no more than 7 days.
Eligibility
The applicant must be 18 years of age or over.
Supporting Documentation
The application must be accompanied by:
- A premises/vehicle layout plan (must include: points of entry/exit into the premises and into any rooms, measurement and shape of any room within the premises and the location of equipment sinks, sharps bins, staff rooms, storage areas/facilities/rooms for products & equipment, toilets, waiting areas/rooms, wash hand basins, waste bins, windows and workstations).
- Evidence of valid insurance cover held by the applicant in respect of the premises or vehicle.
- Evidence of the successful completion of a regulated Level 2 Award (infection prevention & control) held by the applicant.
Processing & Timescales
New applications will be processed within the timescales specified by the Welsh Government statutory/non-statutory guidance.
Existing registered premises, who apply for an Approved Premises Certificate within the 3 months transition period, will be processed within 3 month of the end of this transitional period, or earlier (i.e. 6 months from the coming into force date).
Legislation and conditions
The draft Regulations containing specific requirements and conditions for premises are available in The Special Procedures Approved Premises and Vehicles (Wales) Regulations 2024 (senedd.wales).
The overarching regulation which sets out the legal framework for Special Procedures and other legal requirements is the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 (Part 4).
Contact us
For any enquires regarding the special procedures licensing scheme, please email foodsafety-healthandsafety@conwy.gov.uk
Further guidance
The Welsh Government is due to publish non-statutory guidance for the Special Procedures Licensing Scheme, which will provide detailed information on the requirements of the licensing scheme, how to apply for a licence and an approval certificate, how to comply with the license and approval conditions and the enforcement powers available to the local authority.
Public Health Wales (PHW) will also be publishing the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidance for Special Procedures in Wales, which will provide more detailed information and guidance on IP&C measures and how they can be applied in the special procedures sector.
These documents have yet to be published, and is anticipated to be available before the coming into force date of the scheme. The links to these guidance documents will appear here, once they become available.