It is nearly three weeks since the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) launched its proposal for restructuring in the accountancy sector. Many accountants will say that they have been here before. Indeed, previous attempts to create a more purposeful and efficient profession have failed.

What distinguishes this latest vision is that it has been constructed with the lessons of the past in mind. When the architects of this plan developed their ideas, they wanted to ensure that traditional barriers to success were overcome.

The stumbling blocks to previous attempts to restructure the profession have been twofold - the involvement of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the tendency of negotiators to become mired in points of detail.

The current proposal seeks to preserve diversity and choice while, at the same time, making substantial gains from combination. Bringing together the memberships of the ACCA, CIMA and CIPFA in a new tightly focused body of 120,000 members and more than 200,000 students will offer considerable advantages.

The ACCA's proposal is for a global merger of three international bodies. On the world stage, the new body will enjoy substantially enhanced influence. It will be the largest professional body in Europe and be active in more than 130 countries worldwide.

The new body will cut out duplication and provide a single qualification which meets the needs of business, private practice and the public sector. At present, three professional bodies with similar cultures and traditions seek to establish dialogue with Irish industry, government and practising firms. The combination of the ACCA, CIMA and CIPFA in Ireland will create a body of 5,300 members and 5,500 students. The new organisation will offer sophisticated service and support to members. It will also be an authoritative voice in the corridors of power.

As well as punching its weight in the national arena, the new body will be a force to be reckoned with in Europe and in the wider global context. As the largest body in Europe, it will be the automatic first choice to represent the views of the profession.

It will also campaign strongly on the commercial issues of the day. It is envisaged that the organisation will have three divisions - business, public sector and public practice.

Each will have significant budgets to commission detailed research into contemporary financial and management issues in its sector. In this way, it will become a champion for many sectors of the economy.

The new divisions will be dominant forces in the professional environment in their own right. The business division, for example, will have 78,000 members. This will make it larger than many professional organisations.

A proposal which is positive, and which presents a simple and compelling vision of the future has been deliberately laid out. The structure of the new body is designed to exploit the maximum potential from the organisation. It is straightforward and businesslike.

The ACCA's proposals have already found great favour in Ireland. Beyond the flow of personal contacts, e-mail messages and telephone calls endorsing the move, the largest volume of support has come from reply-paid cards.

The ACCA mailed every member of the three bodies throughout the world. Within a few days the first cards were returned to the independent market research house NOP.

More than 15,000 have now been received and three quarters are in favour of the proposals. The percentage in favour in Ireland is even higher, with 78 per cent in support. It is clearly an initiative which has found its time and is one which Irish accountants believe will benefit them. It is also the starting point for creating a body which is strong, influential and represents key disciplines within Irish accountancy.

The ACCA has put its merger proposals directly to members of the three bodies in what is the largest international opinion poll of accountants ever undertaken. All members of the bodies have been encouraged to react to the proposal by completing the reply paid response card or visiting the merger web site at www.merger.org

Liam Coughlan BBS, ACCA, ACMA, is head of ACCA Ireland