Clause 8

by deleting subsection (1) and substituting the following subsections:“(1) Any application by any person that a public accountant or an accounting corporation be dealt with under this Part, and any complaint about the conduct of any public accountant or the conduct of business by any accounting corporation shall be made to the Board which shall, subject to section 19(1A) and if satisfied that the application or complaint discloses a prima facie case for an inquiry into the matter, without delay appoint an Inquiry Committee to inquire into the application or complaint.(1A) Subject to section 19(1A), the Board may, of its own motion, appoint an Inquiry Committee to inquire into any information that touches on the conduct of any public accountant or the conduct of business by any accounting corporation if the Board is satisfied that the information discloses a prima facie case for an inquiry into the matter.”;

by inserting, immediately after the words “public accountant” in subsections (3) and (3D), the words “or an accounting corporation”;

by deleting subsection (3B) and substituting the following subsection:“(3B) Where the applicant or complainant withdraws his application or complaint to the Board before the Board has referred the application or complaint to an Inquiry Committee or before the conclusion of an inquiry by an Inquiry Committee, the Board may, notwithstanding such withdrawal, refer the original application or complaint to an Inquiry Committee or (as the case may be) direct an Inquiry Committee to continue with its inquiry, and all future proceedings by the Inquiry Committee in accordance with those directions shall be taken as if the application or complaint had been made by the Registrar.”;

by deleting the words “facts referred to in subsection (3B) disclose” in the 2nd line of subsection (3C) and substituting the words “information referred to in subsection (1) or (1A) discloses”;

by deleting paragraph (b) of subsection (3C) and substituting the following paragraph:“(b)the public accountant or accounting corporation against whom the application or complaint is made or in respect of whom the information relates,”;

by inserting, immediately after the words “public accountant” in the 1st line of subsection (3E), the words “or accounting corporation”;

by inserting, immediately after the word “he” in the 4th line of subsection (3E), the words “or (as the case may be) it”;

by deleting subsection (3F) and substituting the following subsection:“(4) In any proceedings under this Part against any public accountant or accounting corporation consequent upon his or its conviction for a criminal offence, the Inquiry Committee, the Board and the High Court on appeal from any order of the Board shall accept the conviction as final and conclusive.”; and

by deleting the existing subsections (4), (5), (6) and (7).