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PART 6Fitness to practise

Restoration of names to the Register: fitness to practise

57.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2)—

(a)a person whose entry has been removed from one or more parts of the Register, in accordance with a direction under article 54(2)(c) or (3)(a)(i) or (b)(iv) may apply to the Registrar under this article for restoration to any part of the Register from which that person’s entry has been removed; and

(b)the Registrar must refer that application to the Fitness to Practise Committee.

(2) An application may not be made under paragraph (1)—

(a)before the expiration of five years from the date of removal; or

(b)within 12 months of the date of an earlier application under paragraph (1) relating to the same entry.

(3) The Council may make such provision in rules in connection with applications for restoration by virtue of paragraph (1) as it considers appropriate and may, in particular, make provision with regard to—

(a)the form and manner in which applications for restoration are to be made (and the rules may provide that applicants must apply using application forms that are in such form as the Council may determine from time to time);

(b)the information to be provided by the applicant, including—

(i)the name under which the applicant intends to practise, and

(ii)the applicant’s home address;

(c)whether any, and if so what, additional education, training or continuing professional development is required before restoration (and the rules may make provision for these issues to be determined in individual cases by the Registrar);

(d)fitness to practise matters; and

(e)refusal of applications (including where the applicant has not paid the fee prescribed under article 36(1)(b)).

(4) An application under this article may not be granted unless the person applying for restoration provides such evidence of fitness to practise as the Fitness to Practise Committee directs.

(5) Where the Fitness to Practise Committee refuses an application for restoration, the Registrar must send to the applicant at the applicant’s last known home address a statement in writing giving the applicant notice of the decision and of the reasons for it.

(6) If the Fitness to Practise Committee grants the application, it may give a direction that the person’s entry in the part or parts of the Register to which it has been restored be conditional upon that person complying, during such period not exceeding 3 years as may be specified in the direction, with such requirements specified in the direction as the Committee thinks fit to impose for the protection of the public or otherwise in the public interest or in the interests of the person concerned.

(7) Where the Fitness to Practise Committee gives a direction under paragraph (6), that direction must, for the purposes of article 54(3), be treated as a direction under article 54.

(8) If the application under this article relates to more than one part of the Register, the Fitness to Practise Committee—

(a)must make separate determinations under this article in relation to each part of the Register; and

(b)may give a direction under paragraph (6) in relation to only one part of the Register or different directions in relation to different parts of the Register,

but may otherwise deal with the matter as a single case.

(9) If—

(a)the Fitness to Practise Committee refuses an application under this article (“the current application”);

(b)it had refused a previous application under this article made by the same person, whether relating to the same part of the Register as the current application or to another part or parts of the Register; and

(c)since the time when the previous application was refused, the person has not been entered in the part of the Register to which the current application and the previous application relate, or (if they relate to different parts) has not been entered in any of those parts of the Register,

the Fitness to Practise Committee may direct that the person may make no further application under this article in respect of the part or parts of the Register to which the current application and the previous application (or each of two or more previous applications falling within sub-paragraphs (b) and (c)) relate.

(10) If the Fitness to Practise Committee gives a direction under paragraph (6) or (9), the Registrar must on its behalf send to the applicant at the applicant’s last known home address a statement in writing giving the applicant notice of the decision and the reasons for it and, in the case of a direction under paragraph (9), of the right of appeal under article 58.