Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 July 2012
488 Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that legislation in countries such as France and the Netherlands provided automatic registration to self-taught architects through acquired rights; his views on whether self-taught architects from Ireland are discriminated on in this instance; and his plans to remedy this problem [36178/12]
View answerThe regulation of the architectural profession in countries such as France and the Netherlands is a matter for the competent authorities in those countries. In Ireland the arrangements for the registration of the use of the title of architect are set out 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.
In relation to practically-trained architects, Section 22 includes a provision to address the position of such 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. In addition, Section 14(f) provides a permanent route to registration for practically trained persons who have 7 years appropriate practical experience and who have passed the prescribed register examination.
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 question of discrimination does not arise. The factual position is that specific provisions have been put in place to ensure that practically trained architects can be included on the register for the purposes of the Act. To date 31 practically trained persons have been deemed eligible for inclusion on the register of architects. Of these, 6 underwent the technical assessment process and 25 underwent the register admission examination. I would encourage all practically trained persons to pursue the routes to registration which are currently open to them with a view to joining the small but growing numbers of practically trained architects already on the register.
