Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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845. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will respond to issues (details supplied) in relation to the registration of architects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46598/15]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The statutory arrangements for the registration of architects are set out under Part 3 of the Building Control Act 2007. Section 22 of the Act makes specific provision for the registration based on technical assessment of persons who had been independently performing duties commensurate with those of an architect for a period of 10 or more years in the State prior to the commencement of the Act. In 2013, in response in particular to the lower than anticipated rate of applications for registration by technical assessment, an independent review of the arrangements in place for registration was undertaken by Mr Garret Fennell, Solicitor. Mr Fennell’s report, which was welcomed by my Department, made a number of recommendations intended to improve and streamline the arrangements for registration. Implementation of these recommendations, in consultation with the Architects Alliance of Ireland and others, has seen a number of reforms being implemented which include the administration of the technical assessment process on a cyclical basis where briefing, guidance and support for candidates can be administered in a structured manner; mentoring and supporting applicants; facilitating assessment based on recent projects; facilitating applicants with reassessment/reapplication (i.e. ensuring that the technical assessment procedure is not seen as a one chance only route to registration); and reviewing and simplifying guidance materials with direct input from practice-trained persons. My Department and the RIAI, as registration body, are committed to continuing to work with the Architects Alliance of Ireland and others in this manner to achieve whatever further reasonable and practical improvements of registration arrangements can be made in the context of the Fennellreport or otherwise.

The recent review of the building control regulations afforded the opportunity for further consideration of the matter in the context of broadening the pool of persons who may certify building works for building control purposes.  In this regard, Minister Kelly and I have both reaffirmed our commitment to continuing to work with stakeholders to identify, as an alternative to the existing technical assessment procedure, a special entry route that takes due account of the practice-trained experience and subsequent career circumstances of such candidates for registration.