25th July 2011, 05:22 PM
I have no idea about the legality and limitations of such a thing, but I assume that if the IFA can set its pitifully low minimums and insist members adhere to them (or face almost instant tutting and hand wringing), then I don't see why another umbrella organisation couldn't do the same. You would need some structure whereby DCOs leaned heavily on developers to employ only members of said organisation, otherwise no-one would bother. The majority of one-man-and-a-shovel units don't bother with RAO status, and that is hardly arduous. Or government legislation to insist that only chartered archaeologists can dig on commercial sites. Though that raises the questions of elitism that the current archaeology crowd have been whining about since PPG16 came in.
As if the profession becoming a bit more elite would be a bad thing.
As if the profession becoming a bit more elite would be a bad thing.