United Kingdom Statutory Instruments

"Act" means the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966;

"appropriate form" means an application form issued by the Council for the type of application in question and a requirement that an application shall be made on the appropriate form shall imply that the Council is entitled to require the completion of the form, which may be satisfied by completion of the form by electronic means;

"College" means the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons;

"Council" means the Council of the College;

"Disciplinary Committee" means the Disciplinary Committee of the Council;

"document" includes a document produced as a result of facsimile transmission and a hard copy of an electronic mail transmission;

"fee year" means the period running from 1st April to the next following 31st March;

"notify" includes making a communication by electronic means;

"practise or practising" means undertaking acts of veterinary surgery as defined in section 27(1) of the Act or is otherwise engaged in any activity which is, in the opinion of the Council, veterinary related;

"quarters" for the purposes of determining fees payable or sums to be refunded under these Regulations, shall be by reference to the quarters of the year beginning on the Quarter Days, 25th March, 24th June, 29th September and 25th December, as applicable;

"register" means the register of veterinary surgeons maintained under section 2 of the Act;

"register address" means the address given in the appropriate form or, where the address has been changed, as subsequently notified to the registrar;

"register qualification" means a qualification entitling a person to be registered in the register under sections 3, 4, 5A, 5B or 6 of the Act;

"registrar" means the registrar of the College;

"supplementary veterinary register" means the supplementary veterinary register maintained under section 8 of the Act;

"United Kingdom" means the geographic area comprising the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man;

"veterinary practitioner" means a person registered in the supplementary veterinary register;

"veterinary surgeon" means a person registered in the register.

    (2) References in these Regulations to a numbered Regulation mean the Regulation bearing that number in these Regulations, and references in these Regulations to "the Schedule" means the Schedule to these Regulations.

(a) full name and any change of name since registration;

(b) register address and, where known, telephone number and electronic mail address;

(c) register qualification, name of college or university at which the qualification was obtained and date of admission to the register;

(d) other qualifications which the Council has authorised to be inserted in the register and which the applicant has requested shall be inserted; and

(e) register index number.

    (2) The temporary list in the register shall contain the following particulars of each person registered therein - 

(a) full name and any change of name since registration;

(b) register address in the United Kingdom and, where known, telephone number and electronic mail address;

(c) qualification for temporary registration and date acquired (in the case of an applicant under section 7(1)(a) or section 7(4) of the Act the date of publication of the result of the examination leading to the degree or other qualification in veterinary surgery; in the case of an applicant under section 7(1)(b) of the Act the date of conferment of the degree or other qualification);

(d) other qualifications which the Council has authorised to be inserted in the register and which the applicant has requested shall be inserted;

(e) period of registration;

(f) place or places at which veterinary surgery may be practised;

(g) other conditions or restrictions relating to the practising of veterinary surgery;

(h) the name of a responsible M/FRCVS; and

(i) register index number.

    (3) The supplementary veterinary register shall contain the following particulars of each person registered therein - 

(a) full name and any change of name since registration;

(b) register address and, where known, telephone number and electronic mail address;

(c) date of admission to the register;

(d) in the case of a person registered under subsections 1(c) and (2) of section 8 of the Act, the particulars required to be entered in the supplementary veterinary register under section 8(3) of the Act; and

(e) register index number.

     4. The registrar shall have authority to refuse to make in or restore to the register any entry until the fees prescribed by these Regulations have been paid.

(a) change of name;

(b) change of register address.

(a) the restoration fee specified in Regulation 3 of the Schedule together with the appropriate retention fee due under Regulation 17 and Regulation 2 of the Schedule in respect of the full fee year in which the restoration is to take place; and

(b) evidence establishing to the satisfaction of the Council the applicant's identity and good character in cases where the name of the applicant has not been included in the register or the supplementary veterinary register during any of the five years immediately preceding the date of application.

(a) to a veterinary surgeon for the retention of his name in the general list, Commonwealth list or foreign list for each fee year following registration;

(b) to a veterinary practitioner for the retention of his name in the supplementary veterinary register for each fee year following that in which his name is first entered in the supplementary veterinary register.

     18. Subject to the provisions of Regulations 19 and 22, the retention fee for the retention of a name in the general list, Commonwealth list or foreign list, or in the supplementary veterinary register, shall be of such amount as is specified in Regulation 2 of the Schedule and the whole fee shall be payable before the beginning of the fee year to which it relates.

     19  - (1) A veterinary surgeon who has paid the relevant retention fee specified in Regulation 2 of the Schedule on the basis that he has been practising outside the United Kingdom and who returns to do so in the United Kingdom shall pay an additional sum representing the difference between the retention fees which are applicable (expressed in quarters of the fee) calculated by reference to the number of full quarters remaining in that fee year.

    (2) A veterinary surgeon who has paid the relevant retention fee specified in the Regulation 2 of the Schedule and who informs the registrar of his intention to practise outside the United Kingdom shall be entitled to a refund of a sum representing the difference between the retention fees which are applicable (expressed in quarters of the fee) calculated by reference to the number of full quarters remaining in that fee year.

    (3) A veterinary surgeon who has paid the relevant retention fee specified in Regulation 2 of the Schedule and who provides the registrar with a declaration to the effect that he is no longer practising shall be entitled to a refund of a sum representing the difference between the retention fees which are applicable (expressed in quarters of the fee) calculated by reference to the number of full quarters remaining in the fee year.

    (4) A veterinary surgeon who has provided the registrar with a signed declaration that he is not practising and who subsequently notifies the registrar of his intention now to do so shall pay an additional sum representing the difference between the retention fees which are applicable (expressed in quarters of the fee) calculated by reference to the number of full quarters remaining in that fee year.

    (5) A veterinary surgeon who is undertaking in the United Kingdom a full-time post-graduate degree course in a veterinary or allied subject, and who is required as part of the course to undertake acts of veterinary surgery, shall for a maximum of three years from the commencement of that course or for the actual duration of that course if this is shorter, pay the relevant retention fee specified in the Regulation 2(iv) of the Schedule.

     20. The fees for restoration of a name to the general list, Commonwealth list or foreign list or to the supplementary veterinary register shall be of such amounts as are specified in the Schedule.

(a) in the case of a person registered under section 7(1)(a) of the Act payment of the fee prescribed in Regulation 1 of the Schedule for registration in the general list in the Schedule shall entitle him to registration in the general list if he so qualifies in the same fee year, without payment of a further registration fee;

(b) in the case of a person registered under section 7(1)(b) of the Act payment of the temporary registration fee specified in Regulation 5 of the Schedule shall entitle him to the entry of his name in the temporary list for the period such registration is granted or for one calendar year, whichever is the shorter. A further fee shall be payable by him for each subsequent calendar year he remains on the list, but this shall not in any case exceed the temporary registration fee specified in Regulation 5 of the Schedule.

(a) is a member of the College; and

(b) wishes to retain his right to vote in Council elections under the provisions of the Veterinary Surgeons (Agreement with the Republic of Ireland) Order 1988.

R. E. W. Halliwell
President

J. Parker R. P. Moore
Members of Council

• Increase in the fees payable for annual registration and retention of names on the Registers of the RCVS by 6-7%, from 1 April 2004 (Schedule to the Regulations);

• Reduction of new registration fee from £240 to £58, linked to payment of a retention fee (Part IX and Schedule to the Regulations);

• Changes in the categories of RCVS membership (regulation 2(1), Parts IX and XI, regulation 24 and Schedule to the Regulations). Membership will be based on whether members are practising or non-practising, rather than practising or retired:

 -  members resident and practising in the UK will be listed as `home practising';

 -  members resident and practising outside the UK will be listed as `overseas practising'; and

 -  members who have declared they are no longer undertaking acts of veterinary surgery as defined in section 27(1) of the Act or are otherwise engaged in `any activity which is, in the opinion of the Council, veterinary related' will be listed as `non-practising' members.