Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the Building Control Bill 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5838/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I have no plans to amend the Building Control Act 2007 along the lines suggested.

Part 3 of the Act enables eligible persons engaged in the provision of architectural services to register for the use of the title architect. The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) has been designated as the registration body for the purposes of Part 3 of the Act.

Membership of the RIAI is not a prerequisite to registration and a number of non-RIAI members have already been included on the register of architects in line with the Act.

A number of routes to registration are provided for in Sections 14, 15, 16 and 22 of the Act having regard to the differing approaches to gaining the requisite knowledge, skills and experience adopted by individual applicants. Section 22, in particular, includes a provision to address the position of a category of practically trained persons who had already been providing architectural services in Ireland commensurate with those understood as being provided by Architects for the purpose of the Building Control Act 2007 for a period of ten years at the time the Act became law. This provision is transitional in nature and enables this category of persons to become registered once they have been assessed as eligible for registration by the Technical Assessment Board in accordance with the practical experience assessment procedure.

Taken in their totality the various routes to registration provided for under Part 3 of the Act represent a registration process that is open, fair and transparent.