Commentary on provisions of Act Section 11: Amendments to the Architects Act 1997
Subsection (2) enables the Architects Registration Board ("the Board") to nominate a member of staff to carry out the functions of the Registrar.
	Under section 2 (the Registrar) of the Architects Act 1997 (the 1997 Act), the Registrar is responsible for maintaining the Register, which includes adding and removing architects to and from the Register. The new provision will allow the Registrar to delegate functions to a member of the staff of the Board who is nominated by the Board. This is to ensure that the functions undertaken by the Registrar can continue if the Registrar is absent or is otherwise unable to exercise those functions.
	For example, in the event the Registrar is on leave or unwell, the Board can nominate the Director of Qualifications or another Director to deputise for the Registrar.
	Subsection (3) enables the Board to exclude from the published Register the whole or part of a registrant’s residential address where the registrant has successfully applied for it to be removed.
	Section 3(2) (the Register) of the 1997 Act provides that the Register shall show the regular business address of each registered person. In some cases, a registrant’s business address is the same as their residential address, which leads to the publication of their residential address.
	In such a case, where a registrant has supplied their residential address as their business address, for example due to unemployment or home working arrangements, the registrant can apply to the Board to have their address removed from the published Register, provided that this is a residential address. The Board will still privately hold the registrant’s full address, but will only publish a geographical indicator (a county or the international equivalent) on the Register to ensure that the individual is identifiable to the public in searches of the Register.
	Subsection (4) allows the Board to require compensatory measures from overseas applicants who seek to register via section 4(1)(a) (registration: general) of the 1997 Act. This will enable the Board to verify that overseas applicants who are registering using prescribed overseas qualifications under section 4(1)(a) of the 1997 Act have knowledge and understanding of the UK context before they can practise in the UK as an architect.
	Compensatory measures will be determined by the Board but can include additional academic or vocational training and qualifications, supervised workplace experience or competence tests.
	Currently, the Board has the power to prescribe international qualifications, but does not do so, as the 1997 Act does not provide a means for ensuring that all applicants have an understanding of the UK context. Overseas applicants have in the past sought recognition under section 4(2A)(a) if holding a listed EU qualification under the MRPQ Directive, or via section 4(1)(b) which provides for an assessment of equivalence and a prescribed examination. Subsection (4) of Section 11 will enable the Board to request compensatory measures alongside prescribed overseas qualifications and experience.
	Once the applicant shows the required evidence of the compensatory measure alongside their qualification and practical experience, the Board will then approve their application, subject to their rules, and admit the applicant onto the Register.
	Subsection (5) amends the 1997 Act to prevent the Board from establishing a committee to discharge its function under subsection (4).