A new bill aimed at protecting the title “accountant” in Ireland has recently been introduced in the Dáil. The bill, if passed, will ensure that the title ‘accountant’ is reserved for those who meet stringently recognised standards and oversight.
The Bill is called The ‘Companies (Protection of Title: Accountant) Bill 2025’ and seeks to make it illegal for any individual or company to call themselves an “accountant” unless they are properly qualified and recognised by the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA).
The general public are mostly unaware that they could be engaging with an accountant who is unqualified and who is not obliged to carry professional indemnity insurance. Architects and physiotherapists had the same problem up to some years ago until they got their professional titles protected in law.
The bill was introduced to the Dáil by Malcolm Byrne, TD for North Wexford, and seconded by Galway East TD Albert Dolan. Byrne told a local Wexford radio station that that consumers deserve to know they are engaging with a qualified professional who is accountable to a recognised regulatory body.
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For more on engagement and representation letter templates and a variety of CPD webinars on money laundering and other accounting/audit related topics, please go to our website for:
- Our latest CPD Webinar on The Main Changes in Irish GAAP (recorded July 2024)
- Anti-Money Laundering Policies Controls and Procedures Manual (March 2022) — View the table of contents
- AML Webinar (December 2023) available here, which accompanies the AML Manual. It explains the latest legal AML reporting position for accountancy firms and includes a quiz. Upon completion you receive a CPD certificate for attendance in your inbox.
- Letters of engagement and similar templates—Please visit our website here where immediate downloads are available in Word format. A bulk discount is available for orders of five or more items bought together.
ISQM TOOLKIT, or if you prefer to chat through the different audit risks and potential appropriate responses presented by this new standard. We typically tailor ISQM training and brainstorming sessions to suit your firm’s unique requirements. Please contact John McCarthy FCA by email at john@jmcc.ie.
