Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 103: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if strong consideration will be given to amending the proposed grandfather clause for the Building Control Act 2007 which had intended to regulate the use of the title architect by empowering the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland but which is acting prohibitively against experienced architects who possess qualifications which were the accepted route into the profession in the past and who also have a wealth of experience arising from working in the industry for many years. [28837/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I have no plans to amend the registration arrangement currently provided for under Part 3 of the Building Control Act, 2007.

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.

The Act does not seek to regulate the function or role of architects. Its purpose rather is to provide statutory protection of the title Architect so that only those who are suitably qualified and registered will be lawfully entitled to use the title. Eligible persons who decline to register can continue to practice architecture and provide architectural services but they cannot use the title Architect or sign certificates to that effect.