The Provision of Services Regulations 2009

Commercial communications by regulated professions

34.—(1) A competent authority may not impose a total prohibition on the use of commercial communications by providers of a service who are carrying on a regulated profession.

(2) The relevant competent authority must ensure that commercial communications by providers of a service who are carrying on a regulated profession comply with professional rules which relate in particular to—

(a) the independence, dignity and integrity of that profession, and

(b) professional secrecy,

in a manner consistent with the specific nature of that profession.

(3) Rules made by a competent authority in relation to commercial communications by providers of a service who are carrying on a regulated profession must be—

(a) non-discriminatory,

(b) justified by an overriding reason relating to the public interest, and

(c) proportionate.

(4) In this regulation, “commercial communications” means communications in any form designed to promote, directly or indirectly, the goods, services or image of a person carrying on a regulated profession, other than—

(a) a communication consisting only of information allowing direct access to the activity of that person, including a postal address, a domain name or an e-mail address, or

(b) a communication which has been prepared independently of the person making it (and for this purpose, a communication prepared without financial consideration is to be taken to have been prepared independently unless the contrary is shown).