Statutory Instruments
2025 No. 555
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
DEVOLUTION, SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
The Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) (Recognition of Qualifications) Order 2025
Made
6th May 2025
Laid before Parliament
13th May 2025
Laid before the Scottish Parliament
13th May 2025
Coming into force
1st July 2025
At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 6th day of May 2025
Present,
The King's Most Excellent Majesty in Council
His Majesty, in exercise of the powers conferred on Him by section 93(3) of the Scotland Act 1998(1), is pleased, by and with the advice of His Privy Council, to order as follows:
Citation, commencement and extent
1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) (Recognition of Qualifications) Order 2025 and comes into force on 1st July 2025.
(2) This Order extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Interpretation
2. In this Order—
“international agreement” means—
the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, signed by the United Kingdom at Strasbourg on 7th November 1997(2), or
the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, signed by the United Kingdom at Paris on 25th November 2019(3);
“non-UK qualification” means a qualification issued by a body located outside the United Kingdom;
“qualification” means any record, issued by a body whose ordinary activities include the issuing of such records, of having attained a particular standard following a course of study or training;
“UK ENIC service” means—
a service pursuant to an international agreement requiring services to be provided relating to—
the comparability, recognition or assessment of UK qualifications or non-UK qualifications, or
the provision of information or advice about such qualifications or the systems for awarding them, or
any associated services provided by a person providing services mentioned in paragraph (a);
“UK qualification” means a qualification issued by a body located in the United Kingdom.
Specification of functions
3.—(1) The functions of the Scottish Ministers described in paragraph (2) are specified for the purposes of section 93(1) of the Scotland Act 1998.
(2) Any function that is exercisable by the Scottish Ministers in relation to establishing and maintaining the UK ENIC service, including, but not limited to—
(a)entering into, and the management of, contractual arrangements;
(b)making arrangements for the administration, collection and refund of fees or charges.
Richard Tilbrook
Clerk of the Privy Council
1998 c. 46; section 93 was amended by section 23 of the Scotland Act 2012 (c. 11).
Cmnd. 5577. United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 2136, p.3.
Cmnd. 497. United Nations Treaty Series, registration number 57727.