Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 7, before section 5, to insert the following new section:

5.–(1) Subject to subsection (2), unless a person is a qualified person, he shall not:

(a) describe himself as an accountant, or

(b) so hold himself out so as to indicate, or be reasonably understood to indicate, that he is an accountant.

(2) Subsection (1) shall not prevent any person who is:–

(a) a turf accountant, or

(b) a legal cost accountant, or

(c) within a category of persons prescribed by regulations made by the Minister,

describing himself as, or holding himself out to be, as the case may be, a turf accountant, a legal cost accountant, or within the relevant category of prescribed persons.

(3) In this section 'qualified person' means a person who is:

(a) a member of a prescribed accountancy body who is entitled, by the constitution or bye-laws of that prescribed accountancy body, to call himself an accountant,

(b) qualified in accordance with section 187 of the Companies Act 1990 to be an auditor of a company or a public auditor of an industrial and provident society or a friendly society,

(c) within a category of persons prescribed by regulations made by the Supervisory Authority as being entitled to use the name accountant, or

(d) otherwise certified by the Supervisory Authority as being a suitable person to use the name accountant.".