RSUA meets RIAI to discuss consequences of no deal Brexit
RSUA Director, Ciarán Fox, and RSUA Council Member Michael Doherty travelled to Dublin on Wednesday 29th August to meet with their counterparts in the RIAI. This meeting was principally to discuss the potential consequences in Ireland, north and south, of a no deal Brexit for architects and architecutre on the island of Ireland. In particular, they discussed a range of technical areas which focussed on the impact on individual architects, architectural practices, education and training of architects and on the public and clients.
With respect to individual architects, a key area of discussion was whether their qualifications would be recognised in the context of a no deal Brexit and whether architects should register in RoI under current mutual recognition arrangements. It is unclear whether these arrangements will remain valid after Brexit.
For architectural practices, what, if any, additional barriers would a no deal Brexit impose on NI firms undertaking work in the RoI. Many firms already work on a cross-border basis and any competitive disadvantage would have ramifications for NI firms.
Given the close working relationships which currently exist between higher education institutions on the island of Ireland, consideration was given to whether NI students could continue to undertake study in the RoI (between part 1 and 2, and after part 2) in the context of a no deal Brexit.
A piece of follow-up work is being considered which would include a potential all-island task group to further consider these issues and the professions response.
