58.— (1) Where the Professional Conduct Committee (the “Committee”) finds there has been no professional misconduct or poor professional performance on the part of the registered professional, it shall take no further action in the matter and shall so inform the registered professional.

(2) Where the Committee determines that a registered professional is guilty of professional misconduct or poor professional performance, it may, subject to the other provisions of this Act, do one or more of the following:

(a) advise, admonish or censure the registered professional in relation to the conduct or performance complained of;

(b) impose on the registered professional a fine of a specified amount and failing payment by him or her of the fine to the registration body within 2 months of his or her being notified of its imposition, the Registrar may erase the person’s name from the register;

(c) direct that during a specified period, registration of the person’s name in the register shall not have effect;

(d) erase the person’s name from the register;

(e) direct that the person’s name remain on the register but impose such conditions for the name remaining on the register as it considers appropriate, to be complied with by the registered professional,

and the chairperson of the Committee shall forthwith notify the person by prepaid registered post sent to the person’s address as given in the register, of the Committee’s decision, the date thereof and the reasons therefor and of the person’s right of appeal to the Appeals Board against the decision.

(3) Without prejudice to the operation of the other provisions of this Act in relation to appeals against decisions to exercise such powers, none of the powers under subsection (2)(b) to (e) may be exercised by the Committee unless the decision to exercise the power has been confirmed by the High Court under subsection (6) or, as the case may be, on an appeal to that Court under section 26, 40 or 54 as appropriate, and then may only be exercised subject to the terms (if any) of such confirmation.

(4) Where a registered professional appeals against a decision of the Committee to the Appeals Board within the period provided for under this Act, the decision of the Committee is stayed until the appeal is disposed of, including any period provided for a further appeal to the High Court.

(5) Subsection (6) applies if—

(a) no appeal under this Act is taken against the decision of the Committee mentioned in that subsection, or

(b) (i) such an appeal taken against the decision has been disposed of and the decision has been confirmed (with or without amendment of it), and

(ii) that confirmation is not a confirmation of the High Court under section 26, 40 or 54 , as appropriate.

(6) The Registrar may apply to the High Court for confirmation of a decision of the Committee to exercise the powers under subsection (2)(b), (c), (d) or (e) and, if the Registrar so applies, the High Court, on the hearing of the application, shall, unless it sees good reason to the contrary, declare accordingly and, where the declaration relates to a decision to exercise the powers under subsection (2)(d), either (as the Court may consider proper) direct the Registrar to erase the name of such person from the register concerned or direct that during a specified period (beginning not earlier than 7 days after the decision of the Court) registration of the person’s name in that register shall not have effect.

(7) On erasing the name of a person from any register under this section, the Registrar shall forthwith send by prepaid registered post to such person, at the person’s address as stated in the register, notice in writing of the erasure.

(8) Where a direction is given under this section that during a specified period registration of the name of a person in any register shall not have effect, the Registrar shall, before the commencement of that period, send by prepaid registered post to such person, at the person’s address as stated in the register, notice in writing of such direction.

(9) The name of any person that has been erased under this section may be restored to the register concerned on the direction of the Committee, but not otherwise, and the Committee may attach such conditions as it sees fit to the restoration (including payment of a fee not exceeding the fee provided for an application for registration in the first instance).

(10) Where the registration of a person in a register has ceased to have effect under this section for a period of specified duration, the Committee may, if it thinks fit, on application made to it by such person, by direction terminate the suspension and the Committee may attach such conditions as it sees fit to the termination (including payment of a fee not exceeding the fee provided for an application for registration in the first instance).