(1)A person seeking admission to a part of the register must make application to the Central Council in accordance with the Council's rules.
(2)Subject to subsection (4) below, the applicant shall be registered in that part (on payment of such fee as may be required by the rules) if he satisfies the Council that he is of good character and has the appropriate professional qualifications.
(3)He is to be regarded as having those qualifications if—
(a)he has in the United Kingdom undergone the training, and passed the examinations, required by the Council's rules for admission to that part of the register ; or
(b)being a national of any member State of the European Communities, he has professional qualifications, obtained in a member State other than the United Kingdom, which the Secretary of State has by order designated as having Community equivalence for purposes of registration in that part; or
(c)he has, elsewhere than in the United Kingdom, under gone training in nursing, midwifery or health visiting (as the case may be) and either—
(i)that training is recognised by the Central Council as being to a standard sufficient for registration in that part; or
(ii)it is not so recognised, but the applicant has undergone in the United Kingdom or elsewhere such additional training as the Council may require.
(4)In the case of an applicant within subsection (3)(b) or (c), the rules may either—
(a)make it an additional condition of his being registered that he has the necessary knowledge of English; or
(b)require him to have that knowledge within a period specified by the rules (failing which his registration will lapse at the end of the period).
(5)" National" in relation to a member State of the European Communities, means the same as it does for the purposes of the Community Treaties.