David Norris (Independent)

I would be delighted to come. I accept that Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were not qualified. There is a need for a so-called grandfather clause of some kind, but I do not see any reason there should not be proper assessment. It seems quite reasonable to me.

However, there are a few problems with matters such as certification. I have been supplied with some hypothetical situations which are worth putting on the record. What about somebody who won a court action on the basis of technical evidence supplied by somebody who put himself or herself forward as an architect but did not have the kind of qualification required and is not subsequently recognised? Could that judgment be nullified retrospectively? If a client lost an action before the enactment of the Bill, could he or she go back to the court and say he or she lost it because the person who gave evidence against him or her subsequently failed to have themselves registered and acknowledged as an architect? Is this possible?

The question of fairness and anomalous situations then arises. I have been presented with a hypothetical case. I received a letter from a proud father which stated:

My son is an architecture graduate from UCD and has just returned home after working for twelve months as an architect in Germany. One of his European colleagues has returned with him, and both are seeking new jobs in Dublin. My son's friend is able to assert that he is suitably qualified and has no examinations or tests outstanding that bar him from Registration in Ireland. (See Article 46 of the EU Directive, 2005/36/EC.) However, my son must work for a year more before then being permitted to take an obligatory test in order to be Registered as a architect, here in his own country. Both have EU recognised architectural degrees, both were treated as equals abroad and both have one year's working experience. Why are they not equals here?

I have an affection for the RIAI. I have been in its premises in Merrion Square and enjoyed the company of its members. However, Joan O'Connor stated in a radio interview that architects are not exactly immoral, they are amoral. Like barristers, architects are guns for hire.

The Minister should look at some of the crap that is being perpetrated in this city. The phrase may be unparliamentary, but I use it advisedly. Look at Telephone House in Marlborough Street.