Timing of payment of fees
7.—(1) Where an examination fee is payable, the Secretary of State shall—
(a)on receipt of an application for examination of apparatus, estimate in complete periods of 15 minutes the time to be taken in conducting the examination and thereby estimate the amount to be payable in accordance with article 5 above, and shall serve an invoice on the applicant for the amount so estimated, which shall thereupon be due and payable to the Secretary of State;
(b)on completion of the examination, the Secretary of State shall—
(i)serve an invoice on the applicant for the final amount of the examination fee, which shall thereupon, and before disclosure of the examination report, be due and payable to the Secretary of State; or
(ii)if the amount received under paragraph (1)(a) above exceeds the final amount of the examination fee, repay the balance to the applicant.
(2) Where a variable fee is payable, the Secretary of State shall on completion of the visit notify the applicant of the amount of the variable fee which shall thereupon, and before disclosure and notification of the result of the application, be due and payable to the Secretary of State.
(3) The fixed fee shall be due and payable on the making of the application for approval.