Vol. 467 No. 3
76 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for the Environment the implications, if any, of the implementation of the Architects Directive on the many hundreds of people who are not members of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13138/96]
The rights of Irish nationals, who do not come within the terms of the Architects Directive (No. 85/384/EEC), to practise architecture in Ireland are not affected in any way by that directive.
Persons who do not come within the terms of the directive may, however, encounter difficulty in practising architecture in other member states. To address this situation, my Department has submitted an amendment to the directive to cover persons claiming established rights to practice here at the date of entry into force of the directive. Applications received from or on behalf of persons wishing to be considered for inclusion in the event of the amendment becoming effective are being reviewed by my Department.
Under the directive, membership of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland is already one of the formal qualifications which enables a person to take up activities in the field of architecture in other member states by virtue of established rights or existing national provisions.
