Inquiry committee and rules of conduct
(1)The Board may refer any complaint concerning a disciplinary offence to an inquiry committee for decision, and for that purpose the Board may establish an inquiry committee of not less than 3 members of the Institution in the same or a similar discipline as the registered professional engineer in respect of whom the complaint is made, to determine whether or not he has committed a disciplinary offence.
(2)The Board may make rules providing for the conduct of its inquiries by an inquiry committee and for other matters relating to the investigation of an alleged disciplinary offence.
(3)The inquiry committee shall not proceed to hear evidence of a complaint concerning a disciplinary offence unless the registered professional engineer in respect of whom the complaint is made is given 28 days’ notice of the complaint and the date, time and place of the hearing.
(4)The registered professional engineer referred to in subsection (3) shall be entitled to attend and hear all evidence produced at the hearing and shall be provided with a copy of this Ordinance and any rules made under this section.
(5)The Board may make rules for the rehearing of an inquiry by an inquiry committee.
(6)Where a registered professional engineer is alleged to have committed a disciplinary offence under section 20(1)(b) or (g), the inquiry committee—
(a)shall not be required to inquire whether the registered professional engineer was properly convicted of the alleged offence; and
(b)may consider any record of the case in which a conviction was recorded and any other evidence which is relevant as showing the nature and gravity of the offence.
(7)The inquiry committee may, in deciding whether a person has committed a disciplinary offence, have regard to any code of professional conduct or practice promulgated by the Board or currently in use by the Institution.