Citation, commencement, extent and interpretation

1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Architects Act 1997 (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

(2) Regulations 1 and 2 come into force on the day after the day on which these Regulations are made.

(3) All other regulations come into force 21 days after the day on which these Regulations are made.

(4) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(5) In these Regulations “ the Act ” means the Architects Act 1997 ( 2 ).

Amendment of Part 1 (The Architects Registration Board)

2. —(1) Part 1 of the Act is amended as follows.

(2) After section 1 (the Board) insert—

“ Authorisation for Board to enter into regulator recognition agreements

1AA. The Board is authorised to enter into regulator recognition agreements in respect of architects. ” .

Amendment of Part 2 (Registration Etc)

3. —(1) Part 2 of the Act is amended as follows.

(2) In section 4 (registration: general)( 3 ) omit subsections (2A) and (7).

(3) Omit section 4A (registration: European qualifications)( 4 ).

(4) In section 6 (registration: further procedural requirements)( 5 )—

(a) omit subsections (3A) and (3B);

(b) in subsection (4A), for paragraph (a) substitute—

“ (a) in the case of an application by a person who in making the application relies on section 4(1)(a), within three months beginning with the date on which the application is made; ” .

(5) In section 6A (issuing of certificates of architectural education)( 6 ), in subsection (1)—

(a) omit paragraph (a);

(b) omit “does meet those conditions,”.

(6) Omit section 10 (disqualification in a relevant European State)( 7 ).

Amendment of Part 5 (General and Supplementary)

4. —(1) Part 5 of the Act is amended as follows.

(2) In section 22 (appeals to the court)( 8 )—

(a) omit subsection (1)(d);

(b) in subsection (2) omit “, (d)”;

(c) for subsection (4) substitute—

“ (4) Where an appeal under subsection (1)(b) is made by a person who, in applying for registration in pursuance of section 4, relied on subsection (1)(a) of that section, the appeal must be made within six months beginning with the day on which the person’s application for the registration is made. ” .

(3) In section 22B (administrative co-operation)( 9 )—

(a) for the heading, substitute “Professional-regulation information” ;

(b) omit subsections (1) and (2);

(c) in subsection (4) omit—

(i) “a competent authority of a relevant European State or”;

(ii) paragraph (b) and the “and” before it;

(d) in subsection (5)—

(i) for “functions” substitute “function” ;

(ii) for “subsections (1)(b) and (4)(a)” substitute “subsection (4)(a)” .

(4) Omit section 22C (confidentiality)( 10 ).

(5) In section 24 (service of documents), in subsection (2) omit “10(2),”.

(6) In section 25(1) (interpretation)( 11 )—

(a) omit the definitions of “competent authority”, “the Directive”, “disqualifying decision”, “relevant European State”, “the Swiss Agreement” and “third country”;

(b) after the definition of “the Registrar” insert—

“ ”regulator recognition agreement” has the meaning given by section 4 of the Professional Qualification Act 2022 ” .

Saving provision

5. Where an application for registration made in reliance of section 4(2A) of the Act is received by the Architects Registration Board before the day on which this regulation comes into force, any provision made by or under the Act continues to apply in relation to the application (including any appeal arising from it) as if the amendments made to the Act by these Regulations had not been made.