HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
香港立法局 一九八九年七月十九日
ARCHITECTS REGISTRATION BILL 1989
19 July 1989
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SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS: Sir, I rise to move the Second Reading of the Architects Registration Bill 1989 and will at the same time speak to the Engineers Registration Bill 1989, the Second Reading of which I will be moving later.
The need for professional registration has been raised in this Council on several previous occasions. In supporting registration of professional architects and engineers, the administration has recognized, with the professions, a certain confusion in the public mind as to the difference between the various engineering disciplines, and the difference between qualified architects and those who call themselves architects but who may not necessarily be professionally qualified. The first objective of the Architects Registration Bill 1989 and the Engineers Registration Bill 1989 is therefore to assure the public that those who profess to be professionally qualified architects and engineers have indeed received the appropriate training and are competent to practise in Hong Kong. The Administration and the professions involved also believe that this legislation will serve to enhance and maintain professional standards.
Registration of those qualified will not be compulsory, but there will be obvious benefits accruing from the use of the title "registered architect" or "registered professional engineer". The Engineers Registration Bill requires that a registered professional engineer should specify the discipline in which he or she is qualified, so that there is no doubt as to the actual field of expertise of the individual concerned. Nevertheless, professionals who are not registered will still be permitted to practise in Hong Kong providing that they do not imply that they are registered. The main requirements for registration are that the person is ordinarily resident and has at least one year's professional experience in Hong Kong, in addition to meeting the relevant academic and professional training standards. Registration initially will not be linked to the right to carry out statutory functions under the Buildings Ordinance, although the Administration can see potential benefits in this application and this will be something to be considered once the registration system has become well established.
The introduction of registration does not mean there will be a "closed shop" or that the professional institutes will be able to operate restrictive practices. The Bills provide for registration to be administered by Registration Boards which