Professional conduct Committee decisions
Professional conduct Committee decisions
The Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) is the disciplinary tribunal constituted under the Architects Act 1997 to hear allegations of unacceptable professional conduct and serious professional incompetence against architects. These are the two “offences” under which an architect can be found guilty. The Committee has the power to issue reprimands, levy fines, and suspend or erase an architect’s name from the Register.
Section 15(4) of the Act requires the PCC to publish the name and offence of those architects who have been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or serious professional incompetence.
The Act is silent on the length of time that an architect’s name and offence should remain in the public domain, but the Board’s view is that it is against the principles of natural justice for cases to be publicised indefinitely. It has therefore adopted a policy whereby findings and penalties resulting from PCC hearings should be publicised for no more than the following periods:
| Penalty | Publication period |
|---|---|
| Reprimand | One year |
| Fine | Two years |
| Suspension | For the duration of the suspension + two years after its expiry |
| Erasure | Five years |
Ultimately, however, the decision as to the period of publicity lies with the PCC.
The following tables contain a list of all cases heard by the PCC since 1997. However, in line with the Board’s policy, the second table lists only the date, nature of offence and penalty imposed. The name of the architect is withheld.