Revenue has amended its Tax and Duty Manual that provides guidelines for using the Court process to pursue tax liabilities as follows. Part 1 - Paragraph 19.1 now states that it is the responsibility of the taxpayer or their representatives to ensure the Satisfaction Piece is registered in the Central Office of the Four Courts.

Welcome to this week’s Technical Roundup.  In developments this week, the Institute’s Financial Reporting Technical Committee has responded to two International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) consultations in the past week. These consultations relate to the IASB’s third edition of the IFRS for SMEs standard and a temporary exception to IAS 12 relating to the potential effects of the OECD’s Pillar Two model rules on the accounting for income taxes. Read more on these and other developments that may be of interest to members below. Insolvency The Corporate & Insolvency Bar Association is hosting its inaugural annual conference on Friday, 31 March. There will be a drinks reception and dinner taking place after the conference. The conference schedule and booking details are available here. Financial Reporting The Institute’s Financial Reporting Technical Committee has responded to two International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) consultations in the past week. These consultations relate to the IASB’s third edition of the IFRS for SMEs standard and a temporary exception to IAS 12 relating to the potential effects of the OECD’s Pillar Two model rules on the accounting for income taxes. The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) has also issued its response to the above IAS 12 consultation, as have the UK Endorsement Board (UKEB). The UKEB have issued a call for comments on its draft endorsement of two narrow-scope amendments to IAS 1 (Classification of Liabilities as Current or Non-current and Non-current Liabilities with Covenants). Comments are welcomed by the UKEB until 8 June 2023. IAASA has published a summary of the outcomes of its examinations of financial reports completed in 2022. Sustainability The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group has issued a set of Basis for conclusions to compliment the first set of draft European Sustainability Reporting Standards. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has recently launched a set of statutory guidelines to assist local authorities in preparing local authority climate action plans. Click here to read more details of the guidelines, Technical Annex A - Developing and Implementing the Local Authority Climate Action Plan, Technical Annex B - Climate Change Risk Assessment, Technical Annex C - Climate Mitigation Assessment: Baseline Energy Inventory and Technical Annex D - Decarbonising Zones. Anti-Money laundering/Sanctions The European Parliament recently published a briefing paper “EU sanctions on Russia: Overview, impact, challenges”. In it the briefing deals with a number of areas including EU sanctions on Russia: State of play, Sanction effectiveness: Alignment and enforcement, Economic impact of sanctions and the position of the EU Parliament. It lists the types of sanctions imposed and gives an overview of sanctions. It references the economic impact of sanctions. There is also reference to EU enforcement including the EU proposal for a directive on criminal offences/penalties for violation of EU restrictive measures. It also notes that the tenth package of sanctions introduced a new reporting obligation to ensure the effectiveness of the asset freeze prohibitions. Readers may know that in March 2022, the FATF agreed on tougher global beneficial ownership standards in its revised Recommendation 24. It requires countries to ensure that competent authorities have access to adequate, accurate and up-to-date information on the true owners of companies. The FATF has now updated the guidance that will help countries implement the revised Recommendation 24. It writes that the guidance will help countries identify, design and implement appropriate measures in line with the revised Recommendation 24 to ensure that beneficial ownership information is held by a public authority or body functioning as a beneficial ownership registry, or an alternative mechanism that enables efficient access to the information and will also help countries assess and mitigate the money laundering and terrorist financing risks associated with foreign companies to which their countries are exposed. Click here to read a useful summary page on the guidance and to find a link to the guidance. The Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) Task force was set up shortly following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It includes various countries and the European Commission. It recently issued a REPO Global Advisory identifying certain typologies of Russian sanctions evasion tactics and issuing recommendations to mitigate the risk of exposure to continued evasion. Typologies identified in the advisory include the use of family members and close associates to ensure continued access and control; the use of complex ownership structures to avoid identification and the use of enablers to avoid involvement and leverage expertise. Read more details in the Advisory on some of these headings and REPO recommendations including following FATF recommendations, complying with AML/CFT laws and regulations and reporting requirements and ensuring that risk assessments are kept up to date. The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) recently issued its latest update of Guidance on submitting better quality suspicious activity reports (SARs). Central Bank of Ireland Following enactment of the Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Act 2023 on 9 March, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) has recently launched a three-month consultation on key aspects of the implementation of the Individual Accountability Framework (IAF), including the publication of draft regulations and guidance. Click here to find more information in CBI’s press release. The draft regulations and guidance seek to provide clarity in terms of CBI expectations for the implementation of three aspects of the framework: the Senior Executive Accountability Regime (SEAR), the Conduct Standards and certain aspects of the enhancements to the Fitness & Probity regime. The full consultation paper, draft regulations and draft guidance are available on the CBI’s website. For convenience the links are set out below: Consultation Paper 153 Enhanced governance, performance and accountability in financial services Regulation and Guidance under the Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Act 2023. Draft Regulations Draft Guidance on the Individual Accountability Framework. In relation to changes to CBI enforcement processes, the enhancements to CBI Fitness and Probity investigation, suspension and prohibition processes will be the subject of separate regulations and guidance which will be published once the underlying legal provisions have been brought into effect. As part of CBI’s phased plan, it will launch a second consultation in respect of changes to its Administrative Sanctions procedure later this year. The Central Bank has included information on proposed implementation periods. It says that to ensure a focus by firms on high quality implementation of the framework, the following implementation period timelines are proposed: Conduct Standards including accountability of senior individuals for running their parts of the business effectively to apply from 31 December 2023; Fitness & Probity Regime - Certification and inclusion of Holding Companies to apply from 31 December 2023; Regulations prescribing responsibilities of different roles and requirements on firms to clearly set out allocation of those responsibilities and decision making to apply to in-scope firms from 1 July 2024. The consultation will remain open for 3 months from 13 March 2023 to 13 June 2023. Responses should be addressed to IAFconsultation@centralbank.ie. and the following subject heading should be included in the email.  “Consultation Paper on the Individual Accountability Framework”. In other CBI news, its Consumer Protection Outlook Report 2023 was published recently. It outlines five key drivers of consumer risk for consumers of financial services in Ireland in this changing and challenging economic environment. Click here to read about them and for a helpful infographic on the subject. CBI has also advertised that it will publish Guidance for (Re)Insurance Undertakings on Climate Change Risk on its website on Thu 16th March and we will provide that link when available. The Pensions Authority and other pension matters The Pensions Authority this week published updated guidance for determining assumptions used in pension benefit statements, as required under regulation 34(4) of the European Union (Occupational Pension Schemes) Regulations 2021. The update maintains consistency with recently revised guidance from the Society of Actuaries in Ireland in relation to pension projections. The latest version of the guidance is available on the pension benefit statement projection assumptions page of the Authority’s website. Also this week the Pensions Authority issued a summary of its regulatory activity for 2022 which you can read here. Readers should take note of an important issue about which the Law Society of Ireland has recently alerted the Pensions Authority and legal practitioners. It relates to the serious effect of new EU pension legislation on death-in-service benefits for former spouses. Please click here for a link to the Law Society’s website which provides the background. In summary the arising issue means that no payment will be made to the beneficiary of a Contingent Benefit Pension Adjustment Order on the death in service of a member of a scheme which has moved to a Master Trust. The Law Society has met with the Irish Pensions Authority and believes that the issue is of such severity that emergency legislation is required. It has also issued a bulletin to practitioners and made available a letter it wrote to the Pensions Authority both of which readers can access by following the above link to its website. Anyone who may potentially be affected by this issue should contact their pension and /or other professional adviser for further advice. Other Areas of Interest The Irish Dept. of Finance recently launched the 1st Action Plan from the updated Ireland for Finance strategy. The strategy sets out the key measures that the public and private stakeholders will take this year to support the further development of the international financial services sector in Ireland. Click here for a press release from the minister of state for financial services credit unions and insurance and here for the Update to Ireland for Finance The strategy for the development of Ireland’s international financial services sector, extended to 2026 Action Plan 2023. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment the national competent authority in Ireland with responsibility for enforcing national and EU controls on the export of sensitive items will host an online event for business and industry representatives about export control compliance inspections on 24 March 2023. These controls form part of a global framework designed to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to preserve regional stability and to protect human rights. Click here to find out more on DETE’s website including examples of sensitive items subject to export control and how to register for the event. The DETE have issued their March Enterprise Newsletter which outlines current applications open re Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund and Enterprise Ireland’s €63 million in funding programmes. For further technical information and updates please visit the Technical Hub on the Institute website.  

In this week’s EU exit bulletin, we bring you the latest guidance updates and publications relevant to EU exit. The most recent Trader Support Service bulletin is also available and HMRC has sent an email about the impact of industrial action on 15 March on goods movements. Miscellaneous updated guidance etc. The latest guidance updates, and publications relevant to EU exit are as follows:- Apply for a certificate confirming an employee pays UK National Insurance when working abroad (CA3822); Check simplified procedure value rates for fresh fruit and vegetables; High risk food and feed of non-animal origin (HRFNAO): official certificates; Apply for approval to be part of the Registered Consignee scheme in Northern Ireland; Apply for approval to be a tax representative in Northern Ireland; Apply for an Advance Origin Ruling; External temporary storage facilities codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service; Notices made and draft notices to be made under the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018; Data Element 2/3 Documents and Other Reference Codes (National) of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS); Customs Declaration Service communication pack; External temporary storage facilities codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service; Authorised Consignee Temporary Storage (ACTS) location codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service; and Manually arrive your goods in the UK.    

Readers may know that in March 2022, the FATF agreed on tougher global beneficial ownership standards in its revised Recommendation 24. It requires countries to ensure that competent authorities have access to adequate, accurate and up-to-date information on the true owners of companies. The FATF has now updated the guidance that will help countries implement the revised Recommendation 24. It writes that the guidance will help countries identify, design and implement appropriate measures in line with the revised Recommendation 24 to ensure that beneficial ownership information is held by a public authority or body functioning as a beneficial ownership registry, or an alternative mechanism that enables efficient access to the information and will also help countries assess and mitigate the money laundering and terrorist financing risks associated with foreign companies to which their countries are exposed. Click here to read a useful summary page on the guidance and to find a link to the guidance. This information is provided as resources and information only and nothing in these pages purports to provide professional advice or definitive legal interpretation(s) or opinion(s) on the applicable legislation or legal or other matters referred to in the pages. If the reader is in doubt on any matter in this complex area further legal or other advice must be obtained. While every reasonable care has been taken by the Institute in the preparation of these pages, we do not guarantee the accuracy or veracity of any resource, guidance, information or opinion, or the appropriateness, suitability or applicability of any practice or procedure contained therein. The Institute is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of the resources or information contained in these pages.

BIK should not apply on payments of professional subscriptions by employers on behalf of employees provided certain established and long standing conditions are fulfilled. The normal Schedule E rules provide for a deduction for expenditure incurred wholly exclusively and necessarily in the performance of the duties of the employment.  This deduction can apply in relation to professional subscriptions.  Even though there was a restatement of their practice, Revenue’s approach to the administration of professional subscriptions when properly tax deductible as outside the scope of BIK has not changed. There are three conditions to be met to allow a BIK exempt treatment where an employer pays a professional subscription on behalf of an employee, namely: The duties of the employee require them to be a member of a professional body, and The employee exercises those duties, and Membership of the professional body is an indispensable condition of the tenure of the employment. If there is a legal requirement for membership of a professional body, or if there is a requirement for a practising certificate or licence, subscriptions may also be paid to a professional body for an employee without a BIK charge. Any concerns regarding the BIK status of our professional subscription will not usually be on the grounds of “wholly” or “exclusively”, but on the grounds of “necessarily” being paid.  It is important to be able to show that our membership is an indispensable condition of the tenure of employment if claiming the BIK exempt treatment.  Members in business should be particularly mindful of this requirement.  For members in practice, an important indicator of our membership subscription being a necessary condition for tenure of employment is the statutory requirement in order to be heard at the Tax Appeals Commission.  However, care must be taken in any situation where two or more subscriptions paid on behalf of one individual to different professional bodies are all currently treated as if exempt from BIK.  It seems such an arrangement would almost certainly be challenged by Revenue in the context of a Revenue audit or other Revenue intervention, if it appeared that only one of the subscriptions could be regarded as necessary.   The Institute encourages members to review the wording in the Revenue Tax and Duty Manual towards ensuring full compliance with the Schedule E rules and BIK treatment. 

The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) has released a series of 20 educational videos on the first set of draft European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRSs). These videos provide some useful guidance in the form of short "glimpses" and longer "educational sessions" which will help viewers gain an understanding of the requirements as set out in the ESRSs. The ESRSs , which were subject to public consultation in 2022 set out the sustainability reporting requirements which will be phased in over time for different kinds of companies, with the first reporters doing so for years commencing on or after 1 January 2024.

Welcome to this week’s Technical Roundup.  In developments this week, the CCAB-I Insolvency Committee has recently made a submission to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on their call for views in response to the proposal for an EU directive harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law; the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, held its plenary meeting on 22/24 February and has now published the outcomes on its website. Read more on these and other developments that may be of interest to members below. Audit and Assurance The Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) has published its 2021 Annual Audit Programme and Activity Report. This report provides a summary of the activities performed by IAASA during 2021 to oversee the audit profession in Ireland. The report outlines the outcome of IAASA’s quality assurance review of auditors of public–interest entities as well as IAASA’s oversight of the recognised accountancy bodies who supervise auditors of other Irish entities. Insolvency The CCAB-I Insolvency Committee has recently made a submission to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on their call for views in response to the proposal for an EU directive harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law. This submission which is available to read here was generally supportive of further harmonisation of existing avoidance actions across the EU. The Corporate & Insolvency Bar Association is hosting its inaugural annual conference on Friday, 31 March. There will be a drinks reception and dinner taking place after the conference. The conference schedule and booking details are available here. Financial Reporting The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published a thematic review on the Big 4 audit firms’ methodology around IFRS 9, focussing on the audit of Expected Credit Losses for larger banks. The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) has released a report with the key messages and discussion points covered at the January 2023 IFASS (International Forum of Accounting Standard Setters) meeting. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has issued its February 2023 update and monthly podcast. The IFRS Foundation has released its February 2023 monthly news summary which includes details of meetings held, decisions made and activities during the month. The UK Endorsement Board (UKEB) has issued a draft comment letter on the IASB’s exposure draft International Tax Reform – Pillar Two Model Rules. Comments are welcome by the UKEB until close of business on 3 March 2023. Sustainability Momentum builds for corporate ESG disclosure and assurance, yet reporting inconsistencies linger. The largest global companies continue to show momentum on corporate reporting and related assurance involving environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, according to a new report from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and AICPA & CIMA. Significant hurdles remain, however, when it comes to providing consistent, comparable and high-quality sustainability information for investors and lenders. CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) Ireland has published its Annual Report 2022 "Alignment of Climate, ESG & Financial Disclosures: Global Sustainability Standards and Regulations align to Provide Greater ESG Transparency and Focus". The report is available at https://lnkd.in/eUr4tsrH and provides insights into how Irish companies are addressing ESG topics.  CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. In Accountancy Europe’s latest article from their ‘Insights from SME accountants’ series, Anton Schmidl and Thomas Wallner from Crowe SOT in Austria discuss how they support SMEs with their sustainable transition, including what auditors and accountants can so to help SMEs. Anti-Money laundering/Sanctions The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, held its plenary meeting on 22/24 February and has now published the outcomes which can be accessed on its website here. These include suspension of Russia's membership of FATF, strategic initiatives on beneficial ownership and dealing with High-risk and other monitored jurisdictions. The European Commission welcomes the Council's adoption of a 10th package of sanctions against Russia and those that support it in its illegal aggression against Ukraine. 24 February marks one year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and 9 years since the beginning of Russia's illegal invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory. This package is turning up the pressure in response to Putin's brutal war, including viciously targeting civilians and critical infrastructure. Other Areas of Interest Decision Support Service It has recently been confirmed that a full commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 will take place on 26 April 2023. The full operationalisation of the Decision Support Service  will then take place when people can interact with the new service. The DSS teams are available to answer any queries in advance of its commencement on 01 2119750 or queries@decisionsupportservice.ie. NI Charity Consultation The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is developing a new strategic plan alongside a new engagement strategy, both of which are being undertaken following the Independent Review of Charity Regulation commissioned by the Minister for Communities in January 2021. The European Commission published on 15 February a Handbook of good practices in the fight against corruption. The goal of this handbook is to map a variety of anti-corruption practices in EU Member States (MS) that have proved to be useful in solving problems related to corruption, and which can inspire similar initiatives elsewhere. For this purpose, one good anti-corruption practice either established or innovative, with positive impact aspirations in each EU Member State was selected, and clustered into eight types of anti-corruption approaches. Readers may recall our news piece on the publication by the Law Reform Commission of a  consultation paper on liability of clubs, societies and other unincorporated associations. As the consultation paper has generated considerable interest, and to facilitate as many consultees as possible making submissions in response to the questions posed in the consultation paper, the Commission has decided to extend the submission deadline from March 2023 to 15 May 2023. Accountancy Europe has released a factsheet highlighting the main provisions in the OECD Pillar Two GloBE (Global Anti-Base Erosion Rules) proposals. For further technical information and updates please visit the Technical Hub on the Institute website.  

Regulatory Fee Invoices  The Regulatory fee invoices for 2023 are available online at the Myaccount portal of the website to view, print and pay.  Remittance should be made by 31 March 2023.  If you prefer a copy invoice to be emailed, please email Sandra.smiley@charteredaccountants.ie quoting your individual/firm ID.   Need assistance?   Please email Sandra.smiley@charteredaccountants.ie with your name and member/firm ID along with the query or changes required.   We will issue a revised invoice if this is appropriate. 

On 23 February 2023 the Council of the European adopted its tenth package of sanctions against Russia. You can read more details on the tenth package on the European Commission website here a press release on the tenth package here and  Questions and Answers: tenth package of restrictive measures against Russia here.

In every issue of The Bottom Line, we ask students for their thoughts on a particular topic. This month, we want to know: Are you worried about the state and future of the Irish economy? Caelainn McGonigle Gilroy Gannon The Irish economy can continue to perform well if policymakers encourage homegrown entrepreneurship .  Ireland is a relatively small country with an educated workforce and a large university system; it should carve out some niche markets and try to have some real impact on technology and innovation. There are many interesting new business opportunities opening up, including those associated with artificial intelligence systems and green energy/green transport.  It is no longer good enough to let large multinationals, and the EU set the business agenda for Ireland. Ireland should rely more on domestic businesses as the key driver of growth and less on foreign direct investment.  There is plenty of untapped potential if Irish graduates are given the right opportunities to stay in the country. Just as in our parents’ generation, many young Irish adults have watched our friends move abroad to avail themselves of better opportunities.  The crisis in affordable housing has also contributed to this emigration trend. Even with a good starting job in Ireland, it is very difficult to find decent, quality affordable housing in our cities.  The Irish government needs to devote more focus to providing good career opportunities and affordable housing solutions to the new generation of workers.  Dónal Sweeney PwC While the impact of high inflation rates and the cost of living crisis remains a high area of concern for myself and my peers, I still remain optimistic about the future of the Irish economy.  I believe people are keen to get our economy back to where it once was. When our economy reopened after COVID-19, it bounced back with a strong level of activity – something I even noticed in my day-to-day life. The fall in business and consumer confidence has also been recorded and acknowledged, and I believe Ireland has the infrastructure and tools to address this in the medium term. I just hope that Ireland’s strong efforts to recover from the pandemic and improve our housing supply and healthcare do not offset efforts made to reach our ESG goal of achieving a climate-neutral economy.  Brendan Connor PwC Between the climate crisis, an unstable energy market, the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially the terrible war in Ukraine, it is certainly a worrying time for Europe.  Ireland has a particularly strong technology base through its position in three growth sectors: IT, pharma, and medical devices. This strong foundation provides a pipeline of opportunities which should help to moderate Ireland’s vulnerability to Europe-wide business cycle shocks over the next few years.  The big worry for me is the war in Ukraine, its aftermath and the possibility of armed conflict or civil unrest spreading to other Eastern and central European nations.  The rebuilding costs for Ukraine will also be enormous, and it will be up to its European partners, including Ireland, to share that burden.  

Peter Gillen, Sustainability Manager at Grant Thornton, didn’t know five years ago where he would be today, but he is incredibly happy he is here, and thinks his ACA qualification is to thank Five years ago, where did you think you would be now? Have you lived up to your own expectations? Truthfully, I don't think I had an idea where I'd be, but I knew that the ACA qualification can take you almost anywhere.  Case in point: since qualifying, I've lived in Boston, worked with some amazing clients, and now work in sustainability at Grant Thornton, so I'm delighted with how things have panned out so far. What has been the biggest challenge of your career? Probably pivoting into sustainability and advisory (having previously worked in IT audit), but it's also been the most rewarding and has pushed me in ways I didn't foresee and I'm all the better for it. What do you wish you had known earlier in life? Don't underestimate balance in all things, including health, work, and social. And if you take care of your body, it'll take care of you. Where do you see yourself this time next year? Hopefully still doing all the things I'm doing at the moment, except with another year's experience under my belt! Who inspires you, personally and professionally? My parents would be my biggest inspiration, both in terms of work ethic and, most importantly, their treatment of others. How has being a Chartered Accountant changed your life? It has opened doors that I know for a fact wouldn't have opened if not for my Chartered Accountant qualification, whether that be the opportunity to work in sustainability or be engaged with the Chartered Accountants Ireland community through my involvement in the Young Professionals Committee. If you weren’t a Chartered Accountant, what do you think you’d be doing? I'd probably be working in a scientific field as I enjoyed chemistry and physics in school. I like the methodical approach used to solve problems. What advice do you have for those who will soon qualify as Chartered Accountants? Don't underestimate the value of staying involved in the Chartered Accountants Ireland community, whether you attending an event or joining a committee (e.g. Young Professionals). I can guarantee you'll get back 10 times what you put in!

If you're thinking about study leave or your next steps in becoming a member – hold on! Hugh Carroll, Manager of the Training Support Unit at Chartered Accountants Ireland, wants to put you on the right path As we move into the second quarter of 2023, the Training Support Unit are conscious that you are likely to be: getting yourself organised for the forthcoming exam season or; approaching the end of your training contract/period. In both scenarios, it is important to be aware of some important information about your CA Diary.  Get the CA Diary on your pre-study leave to-do list  For those of you who will be taking Institute exams this year, it is important that you put time in your personal diary to bring your CA Diary up-to-date and submit the experience for approval. By updating your diary now, you can focus completely on your studies without interruption over the coming weeks.    While it is good practice to keep an offline record, you do need to upload and submit entries to the online system.  Springing into membership? For those who are approaching the end of the training period, there really is no better time than now to check your diary status, bring it up-to-date and put your mentor on notice that your remaining experience will be forwarded soon for approval.  You should note that you won’t be able to get access to a final mentor review until you have reached the end date of your training contract (even if you have all experience days and competencies).  If you have reached or are soon to approach the end of your training contract, but still have elements of your exams outstanding, you can still complete your CA Diary up to and including the final mentor review.  The requirements for the final mentor review are noted under section 1.7 of the CA Diary Guide - Trainees, along with the process for applying for membership.  Common mistakes to avoid Please bear in mind that the Training Support Unit will conduct a quality review of your CA Diary record at the point of admission to membership (and possibly beforehand as part of our monitoring review procedures), so it’s best to check that your record is accurate now.  The team is often impressed by the standard and quality of CA Diary records, however, some of the errors we see mean delays for trainees who wish to get their ACA membership.  Of the errors, the most common are: First entry predates contract start date; Last entry extends beyond the contract end date; Zero-day entries or entries solely for periods of leave; Understating competencies (technical and non-technical); Overstating competency elements (e.g. did you really conduct an IT audit?); Entries which contain limited information in competency descriptors; Overlapping entries. Entries need to be consecutive, not concurrent; and Duplication. Don’t copy and paste your competency descriptors across multiple elements or across groups. To ensure that you avoid the common pitfalls, review the Sample CA Diary Entries for Trainees (check out the Do’s and Don’ts section, in particular). We also introduced a Trainee Checklist, which should help you when creating/submitting entries.  These, and all of the other resources, are available on the CA Diary Resources webpage.   If you find you are struggling with any aspects of your Diary, or are seeking some reassurance, contact the team at Trainingsupport@charteredaccountants.ie or call 01 637 7202.  Lastly, keep an eye on your inbox for notification of any of our forthcoming CA Diary online webinars. Important e-assessment news: new browser download required  All students should note an important change in the technology supporting Chartered Accountants Ireland exams, starting with CAP1 exams in May 2023.     Our online invigilation partner, ProctorU, relies on a browser extension to monitor students, and that extension has to be manually applied to students’ laptops.  As a result of significant recent updates to other browser extension frameworks, ProctorU has launched its own secure browser, Guardian, which provides an enhanced service.  Guardian is now ready and a link to download has been sent to students by email.  For CAP1 exam candidates, your final download deadline is 15 April 2023. By this date, all CAP1 students should have completed the Guardian browser installation on the laptop they plan to use in the main exams. CAP1 ‘practice onboarding’ session is scheduled for 03 May 2023.   The requirement to download the new Guardian browser will also apply to CAP2 and FAE students.