The CPA
Executive Committee met in the Royal Swazi Spa, Convention Centre, Ezulwini,
Lobamba, Swaziland. Hon. Kathleen Casey, MLA, Speaker of the Prince Edward
Island, Legislative Assembly, took the Chair as Acting Chairperson in the
absence of the Chairperson of the Executive Committee.
PRESENT:
OFFICERS
President Hon. Kenneth Marende, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya
Vice-President Rt Hon. Lord Foulkes of Cumnock MSP, for Rt Hon. John Bercow, MP,
Speaker of the House of Commons, United Kingdom
Vice-Chairperson Hon. Kathleen Casey, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,
Prince Edward Island (also Canadian Regional Representative)
Treasurer Hon.Hashim Abdul Halim, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,
West Bengal
CWP CHAIRPERSON
Pakistan Ms Kashmala Tariq,MNA
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
AFRICA
Mozambique Hon. Antonio Amelia, MP, for Hon. Antonio Hama Thay, MP
South Africa Hon. Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu, MP, Chairman of the National Council
of Provinces (attendedfirst day only) then Hon. Moeng Pheto, MP,
alternate for the rest of the meeting)
Botswana Hon. Moeng Pheto, MP, for Hon. Job Y.
Ndugai, MP, Tanzania (first day only)
Swaziland Hon. Marwick Khumalo, MP, Swaziland
Cameroon Hon. Muyali Boya Mary epse Meboka, MP
ASIA
Maldives Hon. Abdulla Shahid, MP, Speaker of the People’s Majlis, for Hon.
Chamal Rajapakse, MP, Speaker of Parliament, Sri Lanka, (Acting Regional
Representative)
Northwest Frontier Hon. Kiramatullah Khan, MPA, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly
AUSTRALIA
Victoria Hon. John Pandazopoulos, MP
TasmaniaHon. Michael Polley, MP, Speaker of the House of Assembly
Australia Senator the Hon. Alan Ferguson, for
Senator the Hon. John Hogg, President of the Senate
BRITISH
ISLANDS AND MEDITERRANEAN
Wales Mr Jeff Cuthbert, AM, forMr Alun Cairns, AM
Gibraltar Hon. Ernest Britto, MP, Minister for the Environment and Tourism
United
KingdomRt
Hon. the Baroness D’Souza, for
Hon. Lindsay Hoyle, MP
CANADA
Prince
Edward Island Hon. Kathleen Casey, MLA,
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
Northwest Territories Hon. Paul Delorey, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, for
Hon. George Hickes, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Manitoba
Canada Sen. Raynell Andreychuk for Mr Joe
Preston, MP
CARIBBEAN,
AMERICAS AND ATLANTIC
British
Virgin Islands Hon. Keith L. Flax, MHA,
Deputy Speaker
Guyana Hon. Hari N. Ramkarran, SCC, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly
Dominica Hon. Alix Boyd Knight, MHA, Speaker of the House of Assembly
INDIA
Bihar Hon. Uday Narain Choudhary, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
India Hon. Meira Kumar, MP, Speaker of the Lok Sabha
PACIFIC
New
ZealandMs Moana Mackey, MP, for Hon. Snyder Rini, MP, Solomon Islands
Kiribati Hon. Dr Tetaua Taitai, MP
SOUTH-EAST
ASIA
Sabah Hon. Datuk Frankie Chong Yu Chee, MLA, Deputy Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly
Singapore Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, MP
Malaysia Hon.
Datuk Ronald Kiandee, MP
IN
ATTENDANCE
CPA SECRETARIAT
Secretary-General
Dr William F. Shija
Director of
Communications and Research Mr Andrew Imlach
Director of
Administration and Finance Mr David Broom
Assistant
Director (Events Organisation) Ms Christine (Tina)
Ngwira
Assistant
Director, Finance Mr Joe
Omorodion
Assistant
Director, International Coordination Ms Musonda Mwila
Executive
Assistant to the Secretary-General Mrs Luseane Chesham
1. WELCOME
The Acting
Chairperson welcomed Members, especially new
Members, Acting Members and Alternates, to the meeting.
2. APOLOGIES
Apologies were received from those
Members most of whom were represented by alternates:
Hon. Antonio Hama Thay, MP, Mozambique
Hon. Sada Soli Jibia, MP, Nigeria
Rt Hon. John Bercow, MP, UK
Hon. Lindsay Hoyle, MP, UK
Senator the Hon. John Hogg, Australia
Mr Alun Cairns, AM, Wales
Hon Abdul Hamid, MP, Bangladesh
Hon. Chamal Rajapakse, MP, Sri Lanka
Hon. George Hickes, MLA, Manitoba
Hon. Tanka Bahadur Rai, MLA, Assam
Hon. Bill Vakaafi Motufoou, MP, Niue
Hon. Snyder Rini, MP, Solomon Islands
3. ADOPTION
OF THE AGENDA
The Draft
Agenda was adopted.
4. MINUTES
OF THE LAST MEETING HELD IN TANZANIA
The minutes of the meeting held in
Arusha, Tanzania, in September 2009 were adopted.
5. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE
MINUTES
Sen. Ferguson asked whether an
invitation had been sent to Hon. Helen Clerk, UNDP Administrator, to attend the
56th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Kenya. The
Secretary-General replied in the negative because the invitation awaited
Executive Committee’s selection of subjects at the Swaziland meeting for
inclusion in the invitation.
Hon. Kumar asked when she should raise
India’s recommendations for rules for the disqualification of candidates in
elections. The discussion on the India paper was deferred to later in the
meeting.
The Working Party
The Committee considered a paper on
the establishment of a Working Party as agreed at the last meeting. The
composition of the Working Party would be one participant each from the eight
Regions of Asia, Australia, BIM, Canada, Caribbean, India, Pacific and
South-East Asia and two participants from African Region plus the Chairperson,
Treasurer and CWP Chairperson.
Lord Foulkes expressed reservations
about the suggested budget of £111,000 and said it would be more worthwhile if
the money was spent on CPA programmes.
Although it was agreed in principle to
have a Working Party, it was argued by some Members that it was up to the
Executive Committee to decide what to spend. The Members also said that legal
status was worth looking into as there was need for clarity on charity status.
Some suggestions were made that
Regional Representatives should consult electronically by ITC or
teleconferencing which is cheaper and faster. However, after some considerable
discussion, it was agreed that in order to get fresh ideas Working Party
Members should not necessarily be Executive Committee Members but could be
current or former Executive Committee Members or any other Members who know the
CPA. Meetings of the Working Party should be held in conjunction with
Conferences as was previously done with the 2007 Working Party. There was
therefore no need for extra meetings and this would cut costs. The
Coordinating Committee would further determine the necessary cost to be met.
In reply to the query from Sen.
Andreychuk, the Secretary-General said that a questionnaire from Canada would
be circulated together with questionnaires from other regions when the Working
Party starts its work in order to draw up the Terms of Reference.
The Committeeagreed to the following Working Party methods of operation and programme:
1. The Working Party will consist of Members of the Coordinating Committee,
the CWP Chair and a representative of each Region, but two from the African
Region and that Regions be allowed to nominate a proxy.
2. The draft Terms of Reference be taken into consideration when
finally determined by the Working Party;
3. The Coordinating Committee to determine a Budget for the Working
Party;
4. The Working Party to have its first meeting at the Kenya Conference
with the CPA Headquarters Secretariat immediately seeking representatives from
each Region, and preparing documentation for the Working Party. Regions should
identify participants by June 30, 2010;
5. The Working Party’s deliberations, once approved by Executive
Committee, proceed to the General Assembly meeting in London in 2011.
It was also agreed that Members would
continue on the Working Party even if they left the CPA office they occupied
during the period.
The Acting Chairperson added that all
other matters arising from the Minutes of the Executive Committee Meetings in
Arusha, Tanzania, were covered by the agenda or Subcommittee agendas. The
Committeenoted the progress on matters discussed in
the previous meeting.
6. MEMBERSHIP
OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ITS SUBCOMMITTEES:
(i)Membership of the Executive Committee
Members noted the
list of Committee Members.
(ii)Composition of the Subcommittees
The meeting
noted the rotation of Members on the two Subcommittees so each Region has two
Members on one Subcommittee and one Member on the other in alternate years.
This does not apply to the Africa Region which has three Regional
Representatives on both Subcommittees each year.
The following
substitutions were made:
Planning and Review Subcommittee:
Rt Hon. Lord
Foulkes of Cumnock
Hon. Abdulla
Shahid, MP
Sen. the Hon.
Alan Ferguson
Finance
Subcommittee:
Hon.
Elijah Okupa, MP
Hon.
Paul Delorey, MLA
Sen.
Raynell Andreychuk
There were no
substitutes for Bangladesh and Assam.
The Committee noted
the composition of Subcommittees as amended.
7. MID-TERM REVIEW OF THE
STRATEGIC PLAN
The Strategic
Plan carried a commitment for a Mid-term review to monitor progress in the
achievement of its objectives, so the meeting was provided with a Review
Statement with an analysis of progress.
The Executive
Committee expressed satisfaction with progress made by the Association in
furtherance of the Strategic Plan which had the endorsement of Branches.
8. MEMBERSHIP REPORT
i. Membership
The Executive
Committee noted the list of Branches containing: the membership fees, those in
abeyance or suspension, the number of delegates and secretaries that each was
entitled to send to a Plenary Conference, the geographical regions into which
they were grouped and the location of Officers and Regional Representatives.
ii. Branches
in Abeyance
FijiIslands
and Turks and Caicos Islandsremained in abeyance
iii. Branches Coming Out of Abeyance
There had been
no applications since the last meeting from Branches seeking to come out of
abeyance.
iv. Branches
in Suspension
The
Secretary-General advised that ten Branches had been suspended for non-payment
of their membership fees under Articles 9 and 4(a) of the CPA Constitution.
These included two Branches in the Pacific Region (Bougainville and Vanuatu),
seven state Branches from Nigeria (Kogi, Ondo, Zamfara, Anambra, Ekiti, Enugu
and Gombe) and Sierra Leone in the African Region. They owed fees totalling
£74,656.
The Committee
urged Regional Representatives to pursue the defaulting Branches in their own
regions to pay their outstanding membership fees.
v. Applications
to Form Branches
Rwanda Parliament
TheSecretary-General
reported that an application to form a Branch of the Association had been
received from Rwanda Parliament. The Assembly had passed the required
resolution and he had received the application in the correct form.
A motion to
accept the application was moved and seconded. The Committee therefore agreed
to recommend to the General Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, that the application to
form a Branch of the Association from the Rwanda Parliament be accepted.
vi. Applications
to Change Delegate Entitlement
There had been
no applications to changes delegate entitlement since the last meeting of the
Executive Committee.
9. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT OF
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1 JANUARY – 31 DECEMBER
2009
Lord Foulkes
asked that, because of the adverse media publicity in the UK, all tour
references be deleted.
On page 35 the
words “carbon friendly” should be deleted and the CWP Chairperson should be
listed after Officers of the Association. On page 7, Dr Taitai’s first name
was corrected to read “Tetaua”.
The
Secretary-General advised that the format of the Annual Report followed the
same basic guiding principles introduced some years ago. Further stylistic
refinements and minor editorial changes would take place before it was
printed. The Finance and Consolidated Accounts Statements would be included in
the final report along with further details about the Membership report.
TheCommittee
approved the content of the Draft Annual Report with
amendments for submission to the 2010 General Assembly.
THE COMMITTEE BROKE INTO
SUBCOMMITTEES
10. REPORTS FROM
SUBCOMMITTEES:
(i) Planning and Review Subcommittee
Ms Boyd
Knights,presented the report of the Planning and Review Subcommittee on
behalf of the Vice-Chairperson. The report is attached as an appendix to these
minutes.
The Committee
approved the recommendations from the Planning and Review Subcommittee.
(ii) Finance
Subcommittee
The Treasurer,
presented the Report of the Finance Subcommittee, which is attached as an
appendix to these minutes. The Committee approved the recommendations of the
Finance Subcommittee subject to the following changes:
Recommendation
1 on “Matters Arising from the Meeting held on 30 September 2009” was amended
to include “and Regional Representatives” and subsume recommendation 5 into
recommendation 1 and recommendation 14 should include “plus five-year previously
for a ten-year total”as follows:
Recommendation 1:
That the Executive Committee approve the
involvement of Regional Secretaries in the collection of outstanding membership
fees in their own Region.
Recommendation 5 as amended:
That the Executive committee request the
Regional Representatives and Regional Secretaries to continue to pursue all the
defaulting Branches in their own Region to pay the outstanding membership fees.
Recommendation
14 on “CPA Secretariat Budget” as amended:
That the Secretariat provide a five-year
analysis (plus five-year previously for a ten-year total) of staffing costs as
a percentage of turnover and make comparisons against other organisations.
TheCommittee
will advise the General Assembly on the proposal to link the fees review to the
work of the Working Party.
11. CPA HEADQUARTERS
SECRETARIAT ACCOUNTS
i)Audited Income and Expenditure Accounts and
Balance Sheet
for the year ended 31 December 2009
ii)Budgeted and Estimated Income and Expenditure
Accounts for
2010, 2011 and Projected for 2012
Summary
Annual Cash Flow Forecasts for 2010-2012
iii)Review of the Mechanism for Setting
Association’s Branch Fees -
Results of Branch Survey
TheCommittee
approved the accounts when it considered the report of
the Finance Subcommittee under item 10(ii). The Committee also extended the
deadline to 15 July 2010 for Branches to respond to the recent Membership Fees
review.
12. CPA
WORKING CAPITAL FUND ACCOUNTS – TO NOTE
i)Audited Income and Expenditure Accounts and
Balance Sheet for
the year ended 31 December 2009
ii)Budgeted and Estimated Income and Expenditure
Accounts for
2010, 2011 and Projected for 2012
TheCommittee noted the above
accounts as approved by the Trustees when it considered the Report of the
Subcommittee under item 10(ii).
13. CPA
CONFERNCE ASSISTANT FUND ACCOUNTS – TO NOTE
i)Audited Income and Expenditure Accounts and
Balance Sheet for
the year ended 31 December
2009
ii)Budgeted and Estimated Income and Expenditure
Accounts for
2010, 2011 and Projected for 2012
TheCommittee noted the above
accounts as approved by the Trustees when it considered the Report of the
Subcommittee under item 10(ii).
14. ARRANGEMENTS
FOR THE 56TH COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE AND ASSOCIATED
MEETINGS
The dates of
the Conference were confirmed as 10 to 19 September 2010.
Hon. David
Musila, MGH, MP, Kenya’s Assistant Minister of State for Defence and Chair
of the Conference Organizing Committee, said that Members would be given a warm
welcome to Kenya in September. He gave a detailed account of the Conference
arrangements on behalf of Hon. Kenneth Marende, EGH, MP, CPA President. He
said that the Conference will accord Kenya an opportunity to demonstrate its
achievements and developmental challenges and reaffirm its place in the
Commonwealth. The President assured Members of a pleasant and enjoyable time
in Kenya.
The
Executive Committee noted the accompanying briefing
paper.
Lord George
Foulkes, as an alternate for theVice-President, said the hosting of the Centennial Conference will
be an event to remember. The Committee then agreed to allow Mr Andrew Tuggey,
the Secretary to the CPA UK Branch, to brief Members about the conference
arrangements.
Mr Tuggey
presented the draft programme for the 2011 Conference and said that because of
a fixed budget he had been told by Parliament to curtail the agenda to the key discussion points of the draft outline to seven days. He
said that due to the reduced budget, the financial climate and for reasons of
transparency and accountability, the CPC2011 would see a reduction in social
events as these would attract adverse media coverage of Parliamentarians in the
wake of criticisms of UK Members expense claims. He also feared that the new
Parliament’s budget could be cut by 9 per cent because of the UK’s financial
situation.
He added that
in order to further reduce costs, the UK Branch would not arrange the meeting
and greeting at airports. Therefore all delegates including the Executive
Committee would be responsible for finding their own way to the hotel, with the
assistance of their respective High Commissions as necessary. Under the
circumstances, he appealed to the Executive Committee to consider a request by
the UK Branch to cut the nine-day programme to seven days.
The Secretary-General advised that in
view of strict security often exercised by the UK Border Agency and the
existing anti-terrorism laws in Britain, the host Branch must take extra care
for the arrival and departure of delegates.
A Member raised the difficulties
experienced in getting personal British visas to travel to the UK and whether
the UK government would help delegates to obtain visas for the conference in
2011. In reply, Lord Foulkes said that special arrangements could be made for
the conference, as would be done for the Olympics and for Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow.
However, the
Committee then recessed for the day and resumed its meeting on 12 May. UK
Branch representatives were unable to be present. However, criticism was
voiced by many Members of what appeared to be an inappropriate decision by the
United Kingdom Branch. Members were unhappy with the way the Branch will handle
the various conference and associated programmes and the receiving
arrangements. Members sought clarification as to why the CPA “mother” Branch
was seeking to diminish the Centennial Year instead of preparing to make it
even more prominent. Also, Members did not accept the idea of media criticism
of Parliamentarians in the United Kingdom, stating that if all other Branches
were to fear the media, no useful event could be staged by the Association.
TheCommittee
agreed that since the nine-day Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference format was
passed by the General Assembly in India in 2007, the proposal to change the
format to seven days must be put to the General Assembly in Nairobi.
15. COMMONWEALTH WOMEN
PARLIAMENTARIANS
Following the
re-submission of the request from the CWP for the Chairperson of the CWP to be
made an Officer of the Association, the Committee agreed to recommend to the
General Assembly in Nairobi that the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women
Parliamentarians (CWP) should become an Officer of the Association so that the
six positions will always have at least one woman. A recommendation to amend
the CPA Constitution to make the CWP Chairperson an Officer of the Association
should be presented to the General Assembly in Kenya. The Committee further
agreed in Bermuda to accord the CWP Chairperson the treatment and recognition
to that of an Officer:
At the Opening Ceremony will sit
at the Top Table together with the CWP President and other dignitaries;
Accompanying Officers of the
Association during courtesy calls;
To be recognised in the salutations
16. RECOMMENDATIONS
FROM THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Status
of the Association
The issue of Status of the Association was
referred to the Working Party as part of the overall review on the future of
the Association.
(ii)Staff and Related Matters
Staff related matters, particularly with
regard to the contracts of Directors and other Secretariat staff were also
referred to the Working Party
(iii)Secretary-General’s letter to the
Chairperson
With regard to the Secretary-General’s
request to have his term of employment extended for a second term of 5 years,
the Executive Committee agreed to recommend to the General Assembly that the
current Secretary-General’s employment be extended for a second term of 5 years
from 2012 to December 2016.
17. MARKING THE CPA
CENTENNIAL
Initially, it
was agreed that two books would be produced: a general book on all Commonwealth
Parliaments and a book on the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) and the
advancement of women in Parliament. Later it became apparent that women
Members and parliamentary officials would be asked to contribute to the general
book, and the general book should also have material on the CWP and women in
Parliament. Therefore it was agreed that the two books be merged into one
project, thus mainstreaming the CWP and women in the CPA and the Centennial.
Further consideration of the books indicated the budget for each could be
inadequate and the Secretariat would have difficulty producing both books along
with other Centennial and routine work. The expansion of the general
publication and the combination of the budgets for it and the CWP book into one
budget would produce a more effective programme.
The Committee agreed to merge into one
publication the Commonwealth Parliaments Book and the Commonwealth Women
Parliamentarians Book.
18. REGIONAL SECRETARIES’
ATTENDANCE AT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Background
At their last
meeting in London on 5 March 2010, Regional Secretaries expressed a wish to
accompany their Regional Representatives to the Executive Committee meetings in
order to give advice and support during the meeting. They also felt that their
attendance would provide an institutional memory service and continuity in view
of the turnover of Regional Representatives.
The reasons
that had been advanced against the Regional Secretaries attendance at the
Executive Committee meetings were that adding this group to already too large
an Executive Committee would among other things be both unmanageable
logistically and financially prohibitive for the Host Branch when the cost of
hosting the Mid-year meeting is mostly borne by the host Branch.
Admitting the
Regional Secretaries could also raise an issue of the inclusion of Nine CWP
Steering Committee Members and one Small Branches’ Representative, further
raising the total number of attendants at the Executive Committee Meeting to
62, especially when the Association is currently finding it increasingly
difficult to find host Branches for the Executive Committee meetings. An
expanded attendance at the Executive Committee meetings could also deter
Smaller Branches from offering to host the Executive Committee due to cost and
other implications.
For the
reasons given above, it was recommended that the Executive Committee reject the
request by Regional Secretaries to attend the meetings of the Executive
Committee.
However, the
debate ensued and Members from Australia, Kiribati and Canada supported Ms
Mackey who said that the attendance of Regional Secretaries would provide
continuity to Members and would help Regions such as the Pacific which has the
most sparsely placed Branches in the CPA and hence difficult to reach by any
other form of travel including air travel. She said contact and communication
between Branches was very rare and difficult and that not all Branches had
access to the internet. For these reasons she said that the Region would
benefit tremendously from the attendance of its Regional Secretary at the
Executive Committee meetings and appealed to Members to allow Regional
Secretaries attend its meeting in order to provide such needed support to
Members and Branches in the Region.
Datuk Kiandee said that the problem described by Ms Mackey would not be resolved
by the attendance of Region Secretaries at the Executive Committee meetings if
transport and communications posed problems in the Region. In these
circumstances the Regional Secretaries would face the same transport and
communication problems. Other Members echoed these sentiments and wondered
whether Members appointed to the Executive Committee needed the support from
Regional Secretaries by sitting in its meetings.
However, the
Committee had no objection to Regional Secretaries and other officials
accompanying the Regional Representatives and paying their own costs but not
attending the Executive Committee meetings.
After discussion, the recommendation
was put to a vote. There were 23 Members present and the results were as
follows:
Those for the
recommendation: 14
Those
against: 8
Abstention:
1
Spoilt ballot
none
Total
23
Therefore the recommendation was
carried that Regional Secretaries would not attend Executive Committee
meetings.
19. REPORT ON FUTURE VENUES
Mid-year meeting 2010
The Secretary-Generalinformed
Members that Swaziland had offered to host this meeting after the last meeting
had concluded. The invitation had therefore been accepted by written
resolution under Article 27(7) of the Constitution. He said that Swaziland
offered to host the Mid-year meeting when there had been no offers for venues.
He thanked the Government, the Branch and the people of Swaziland for their
generosity in having the meeting held in Swaziland.
Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar
2010
Northwest
Frontier Province – renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The
Secretary-General advised Members that because of the prevailing security
problems in Pakistan Parliamentarians may not wish to travel there and members
of staff who are generally insured for injury as a result of war or terrorism
would not becovered if the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised
against travelling to the country. In this case, it had advised against travel
to specific regions in Pakistan including NWFP, Peshawar and districts south of
the city. The Secretary-General requested that the Executive Committee
consider finding an alternative venue. As a consequence, Ms Tariq proposed that
the 2010 Annual Seminar be moved to Islamabad, to which the Executive Committee
agreed.
20. REPORT ON VISITS SINCE
APRIL 2009
As the meeting
was running out of time, Members did not have the opportunity to report on CPA
visits undertaken since the last meeting.
21. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Re-imbursement
of the Treasurer’s Travel
The Secretary-General said that the
Coordinating Committee had discussed the matter and he asked the Executive
Committee to pay the cost of the Treasurer son’s trip to Singapore when the
Treasurer fell ill and was hospitalised there en route to London for a CPA
Trustees’ meeting. The Treasurer added that a precedent had already been set
when the CPA Secretariat had paid a business class ticket for the spouse of a
former Treasurer to a meeting because of his ill-health. The Secretary-General
also cited an example of the Regional Secretary from Trinidad & Tobago who
fell sick in Antigua while performing CPA duties and was hospitalized and had
to be flown back home by air ambulance. He added that in the absence of a CPA
policy, he was not in a position to help. He however asked the Executive
Committee to set a CPA policy for handling eventualities such as these.
After much discussion the Executive
Committee asked to await two months if India was going to pay an insurance
claim before CPA reimburse the Treasurer’s expenses as requested.
Election Rules Changes - Violation
and Disqualification
Smt Kumar tabled proposed changes to
the rules governing elections. The Executive Committee asked the Secretariat
to study the proposals and report back to the next meeting.
The Chairperson thanked Members for
their contribution and cooperation and wished them safe trips back to their
homes.
There being no other business, the Chairperson
adjourned the meeting.
Document E10(i)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Royal Swazi Spa
Ezulwini, Lobamba, Swaziland
8 – 13 May 2010
Report of the Planning and Review
Subcommittee
Present
Officers of
the Association:
CPA
President: Hon.
Kenneth Marende, MP, (Kenya)
CPA Vice-President Rt Hon. Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (United Kingdom) (Alternate)
Members of
the Subcommittee:
Chairperson: Hon.
Kathleen Casey, MLA, (Prince Edward Island)
(Vice-Chairperson of the Executive
Committee and Canadian Regional Representative)
CWP
Chairperson: Ms Kashmala Tariq, MNA,
(Pakistan)
Africa: Hon. Johannes Mahlangu, MP, (South Africa)
Hon.
Antonio Jose Amelia, MP, (Mozambique)
Hon.
Muyali Boya Mary epse Meboka, MP, (Cameroon)
Asia: Hon. Abdulla Shahid, MP,
(Maldives) (Alternate)
Australia: Hon. Michael Polley, MHA, (Tasmania)
Sen. the Hon. Alan Ferguson (Australia) (Alternate)
British
Islands and Mediterranean: Hon. Ernest
Britto, MP, (Gibraltar)
Caribbean,
Americas and Atlantic: Hon. Alix Boyd Knights, MHA, (Dominica)
India Hon.
Meira Kumar, MP, (India)
Pacific Hon. Dr Tetaua Taitai, MP,
(Kiribati) (for part of the meeting)
Ms
Moana Mackey, MP, (New Zealand) (for part of the meeting)
South-East
Asia: Hon. Datuk Frankie Chong Yu
Chee, MLA, (Sabah)
Dr
Mohd Maliki Osman, MP, (Singapore)
In
attendance: Dr William F.
Shija, Secretary-General
Mr Andrew Imlach, Director of
Communications and Research
Ms Musonda Mwila, Assistant Director
International Co-ordination
1. Welcome and Opening Remarks
The Chairperson of the Subcommittee
welcomed Members, especially new Members and Alternates, to the Planning and
Review Subcommittee meeting held on 9 May in the Indzaba Room of the Royal
Swazi Spa Convention Centre. She welcomed Members and noted apologies for
absence from Members unable to attend.
2. Adoption of Agenda
The agenda was adopted as distributed.
3. Report
of the Last Meeting
Members noted the report of the
September 2009 meeting held in Arusha, Tanzania.
4. Plenary
ConferenceFormat and Topics
The
Subcommittee considered subjects proposed by Branches and the Secretariat to
draft a recommended agenda for the 56th Commonwealth Parliamentary
Conference to be held in September in Nairobi, Kenya. It applied the plenary
conference format approved by the 2007 General Assembly, but concern was
expressed that more time should be allotted to workshop sessions than had been
the case in 2009 so more Members would be able to participate.
The proposed
agenda includes the final plenary topic agreed by the Executive Committee at
its last meeting in response to a proposal from the Maltese Branch and the
topic selected by the Kenyan Branch for the host Branch workshop as Workshop
A. The topic selected by the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Steering
Committee for the gender workshop, Workshop F, is also one of the topics for
the CWP Conference. The topic for Workshop C is also proposed for the Small
Branches Conference. The duplication of both these subjects enables delegates
from those meetings to report to the main conference the views of their Members
on that subject.
It therefore
agreed to recommend the following theme and topics:
Recommendation 1:
That the Executive Committee agree the
following theme, plenary and workshop topics:
Theme
Parliament and Development in the 21st
Century: Thus Far and Beyond
Opening Plenary
Addresses by CPA
Secretary-General and the Commonwealth Secretary-General
Workshops
A. The
Role of Parliament in Peace Building: The Case of Kenya in Addressing
Post-Election Violence in 2008. (Host Branch topic):
B. The Global
Water and Food Crisis
C. Energy
and Environment: Achieving Sustainable Development: (Small Branches Topic)
D. Parliament,
Accountability and the Role of Internet Governance in Strengthening Oversight
E. The Role of
Parliamentarians in Facilitating Grassroots Projects
F. The
Role of Parliamentarians in the Protection of Migrant Workers (Gender Related
Topic from CWP Steering Committee)
G. The
Role of Parliamentarians in Natural Disaster Management
H. How prepared is the Commonwealth for the Emerging New World Economic
Order?
Final Plenary
Commonwealth Initiatives
in Handling Migration Issues
The
Subcommittee was advised that a Conference Summary Statement will be issued
after the Conference. It was also advised that a complete list of
international organizations invited to attend the conference will be presented
to the Subcommittee at its meeting in Kenya.
5. Small
Branches Conference
The
Subcommittee considered the agenda for the 30th Small Branches
Conference to be held in Kenya in September. The two-day conference for
Members from Branches in jurisdictions with populations of up to 500,000 people
is composed of four plenary sessions, including one or more sessions addressed
by experts from relevant international agencies.
The proposed
First Plenary Session is to be repeated at the plenary conference. The
Subcommittee therefore reviewed topics for discussion proposed by delegates to
last year’s conference, Branches and the CPA Secretariat and recommends the
following agenda (the proposer of the subject is indicated in italic):
Recommendation 2:
That the Executive Committee
approve the following format and agenda for discussion at the 30th
Small Branches Conference:
1st
Plenary Session
Energy
and Environment: Achieving Sustainable Development
(Jersey and NSW, Australia)
2nd
Plenary Session
The
Effect of “Political” Corruption in Small States
(29th Small Branches Conference)
3rd
Plenary Session
The
Challenges of Sovereignty in Small States
(Norfolk
Island and St Helena)
4th Plenary Session
Parliament
and Accountability – Strengthening Oversight in Small Parliaments
(CPA
Secretariat)
6. Review
of Ongoing Programmes and Services
The
Subcommittee reviewed the following CPA events and services which were due for
their triennial review this year based on a schedule previously agreed by the
Executive Committee.
(i) Annual Report
The triennial
review of the CPA “Aims” booklet was conducted by the Subcommittee.
Information about the aims, organization and activities of the Association is
published annually in a 12-page booklet to familiarize Members and others with
the Association and its governance. The content of the booklet also appears in
relevant places on the CPA website, and some basic CPA information is also
published in a leaflet as an inexpensive substitute to give to those who
require only a brief description of the Association. The Subcommittee agreed
that the publication of the booklet assists the Association to promote
parliamentary democracy and improve Members’ understanding of CPA programmes
and services.
It therefore
agreed to recommend:
Recommendation
3:
That the Secretariat continue to publish
information on the work and structures of the Association in booklet, leaflet
and electronic forms as communications tools to inform Members and others about
the activities and structure of the CPA.
(ii) Parliamentary Information and Reference Centre
A performance
report was considered on the Parliamentary Information and Reference Centre
which is part of the CPA Secretariat. The Subcommittee was advised that the work
of the Centre in disseminating information on parliamentary matters is one of
the CPA’s core functions, is recognized in the CPA Constitution and contributes
to the achievement of three objectives in the current Strategic Plan.
The
Subcommittee noted that the Centre provides comparative parliamentary and
constitutional information to Parliaments, Members, parliamentary officials and
others in response to queries and through the provision of information online.
The Centre also plays a leading role in the operation of the CPA website, and
it runs a Publications Transfer Scheme to send reference material from
parliamentary libraries which no longer need them to those which lack such
material. Updated editions of the CPA Parliamentary Directory are provided to
Branches and published online, and background Data Papers are provided
for conferences.
The
Subcommittee therefore agreed to recommend:
Recommendation 4:
That the work of the Parliamentary
Information and Reference Centre be endorsed by the Executive Committee.
(iii) The Parliamentarian
The
Subcommittee received a performance report on the CPA’s quarterly journal, The
Parliamentarian, which is circulated to all Members in accordance with the CPA
Constitution and in pursuit of four objectives of the current CPA Strategic
Plan. It also provides a medium through which the results of other CPA
programmes are communicated to the total membership.
The
Subcommittee noted with approval that the format of the journal had been
transformed since the Executive Committee reviewed the Association’s flagship
journal three years ago, and that new features had been added to enable the
Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians and the
Secretary-General to communicate regularly with Members. The Subcommittee agreed
that the journal is the CPA’s most important publication. As a journal written
largely by and for Members and parliamentary officials, it provides a valuable
authoritative forum for Members to air parliamentary and Commonwealth issues
for all Members.
It was
suggested that further improvements could be made to the Officers List
published in the journal by adding the photographs of Executive Committee
Members and possibly their email addresses.
It therefore
agreed to recommend:
Recommendation 5:
That the publication
of The Parliamentarian and its circulation to all Members be continued
as a major core CPA programme.
This
performance report provided an update on the final stage of CPA Technical
Assistance Programme for the Parliament of Malawi, which had been delayed until
after the conclusion of the country’s 2009 general election.
The
Subcommittee recalled that unspent funds for this programme were carried
forward by the Executive Committee from 2008 to enable the CPA to work with its
partner in this project, the Scottish Parliament, in 2009 to run an
attachment programme for Malawian Members and National
Assembly staff to study the broadcasting of Parliament. The Subcommittee noted
that the Scotland Branch will continue to work with the Malawi Branch as part
of the CPA twinning programme. This type of assistance was described as a good
model for similar programmes which could be run with other Branches.
The
Subcommittee agreed to recommend:
Recommendation 6:
That the Executive Committee note the successful conclusion to the CPA
Technical Assistance Programme for the National Assembly of Malawi and the
continuing collaboration between the National Assembly of Malawi and the CPA
Scotland Branch.
(v) Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures
The
Secretariat reported on the work so far to apply the 2006 Study Group’s
Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures in collaborative programmes
with the World Bank Institute, the United Nations Development Programme,
regional organizations and CPA Parliaments and Legislatures. This programme has
put the CPA in a global leadership position in this work at the
intergovernmental level.
The
Subcommittee noted that Regional Benchmarks based on the Study Group’s
Benchmarks were produced in late 2009 by the Pacific small islands states and
in early 2010 by the CPA’s Asian, Indian and South-East Asian Regions. The
Study Group’s Benchmarks were used as a model by the Assemblée Parlementaire de
la Francophonie and the Southern African Development Community-Parliamentary
Forum for their own sets of standards. The CPA Secretary-General was a leading
speaker at an intergovernmental conference on standards held in Paris in March.
It was also
noted that several individual Parliaments or Chambers either had assessed
themselves against the CPA Benchmarks or were in the process of doing so.
The
Subcommittee applauded the Benchmarks and their regional variations as a
valuable initiative which supports parliamentary reform programmes, provides a
mechanism to guide parliamentary strengthening programmes and ranks the CPA
among the global leaders in this area. The Benchmarks contribute to the
realization of four Strategic Plan objectives. Concern was expressed that
insufficient funds were being spent on programmes. This programme in particular
should be allocated more financial support to continue the CPA’s leadership
position and spread its benefits to more Branches.
The
Subcommittee agreed that the development of regional variations would
contribute to the continuing evolution of the Benchmarks so they keep pace with
advances in standards of parliamentary governance and so recommended:
Recommendation
7:
That the Secretariat continue to develop
Regional Benchmarks for other CPA Regions in preparation for a second Study
Group to update, enhance and expand the Benchmarks at a future date to be
determined.
(vi)Commonwealth Parliamentary
Conference
The
Subcommittee was advised that the triennial review of the plenary conference
and the Small Branches Conference was due this year but that only two plenary
conferences had been held under the current format. The Secretariat had also
not been able to survey the views of 2009 conference delegates on the
conference; but a questionnaire would be circulated to delegates at the 2010
conference in Kenya so the Executive Committee would have the benefit of the
views of delegates in its assessment of the conference and its related events.
The
Subcommittee therefore agreed to recommend:
Recommendation
8:
That the Executive Committee defer a
review of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and the related Small
Branches Conference until its February 2011 meeting.
7. CPA
Publications
1. The
Parliamentarian
The Subcommittee reviewed articles
being sought for publication in the journal and discussed issues for possible
future coverage. In particular, Members pressed for the publication of
articles which had already been sought on the state of democracy in Pakistan
following that country’s 2008 elections.
Members were advised that parts of the
journal are on the CPA website but that its format was more suited to a paper
publication. Many Members read the publication as it provides a useful link
with other Commonwealth Parliamentarians.
Recommendation 9:
That the Executive Committee note
progress in obtaining material for publication for Members in The
Parliamentarian and suggest new subjects of current interest to Members for
coverage in future issues.
2. Other Publications
The Subcommittee
was advised that the Secretariat had produced an issue of the electronic
newsletter CPA Update, a new edition of the CPA “Aims” booklet Promoting
Parliamentary Democracy was being printed and two regional Benchmarks booklets
had been printed and circulated, as had a new CPA booklet with a calendar of
programmes being produced this year. The text for the 2009 Annual Report had
been written for approval by the Executive Committee at this meeting.
The
Subcommittee was also advised that the new website had been launched featuring:
an interactive map of CPA Branches, a new CPA
management section containing Minutes of Executive Committee Meetings going
back five years, a new more contemporary design and improved communications
functions and a Climate Change Task Force section with Climate e-Briefs and a
Climate Change Library. A new Secretary-General’s Page is soon to be added.
It was
suggested that the CPA website could be linked to a CPA Facebook page to
provide another medium of communication for Members.
The
Secretariat reported that further improvements will be made to the CPA website
as technical issues in the migration of data from the old site are resolved.
The CPA video
documentary on the 2009 Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Tanzania was
awaited from the Tanzanian Branch.
The
Subcommittee therefore agreed to recommend:
Recommendation 10:
That the Executive Committee note new
material recently published by the CPA Secretariat.
8. Commonwealth
Women Parliamentarians Work Programme
The Subcommittee
received an update on the arrangements for the CWP Steering Committee Meeting,
the CWP Conference, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Business Meeting
and the election of a new CWP Chairperson which are all to take place during
the plenary conference in Kenya. The Subcommittee agreed that Branches should
be reminded that the election of a new CWP Chairperson would take place in
Kenya so they should be urged to send women Members as delegates if possible.
It was noted
that again this year a gender-related topic will be discussed by both male and
female delegates in a conference workshop.
A report was
received on other CWP projects for the remainder of this year. An amendment to
two of the projects is the subject of a separate recommendation later in this
report.
The
Subcommittee therefore agreed to recommend:
Recommendation 11:
That Branches be encouraged to
include the attendance of women Members at the Annual Conference in Kenya so
that a maximum number of women can participate in the second CWP Conference.
Recommendation 12:
That Branches and Regions be
reminded of their responsibilities to include women as Delegates to the Annual
Conference.
Recommendation 13:
That Branches be encouraged to
ensure the attendance of Steering Committee representatives in Kenya as
Delegates.
Recommendation 14:
That the Executive Committee note
the progress of the CWP Work Programme.
9. Programme
Planning
(i)Report on Programmes since the last
Meeting
The Subcommittee noted
reports on the following projects undertaken by the Secretariat since the
September 2009 Executive Committee Meeting in Tanzania:
·Regional Seminar on Financial Oversight/Role of Public Accounts
Committees (Dhaka,
Bangladesh)
·Departmental
Committees Workshop for Trinidad & Tobago (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago)
·Regional
Workshop on Benchmarks for Democratic Parliaments for the Pacific Region (Rarotonga, Cook
Islands)
·Task Force on Climate Change (Copenhagen,
Denmark)
·Workshop on
Climate Change (Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
·Regional
Workshop on Benchmarks for Democratic Parliaments for the Asia, India and South-East Asia
Regions (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
·West Africa
Public Accounts Committee Workshop (Accra, Ghana)
·Parliamentary
Staff Development Workshop for Asia and South-East Asia Regions (Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia)
·International
Conference: Parliamentary Benchmarks and Self-Assessment (Paris, France)
·Meeting
of Regional Secretaries
(London, United Kingdom)
·Commonwealth Day Activities (London and
Branches)
·Post-Election
Seminar for Dominica (Roseau, Dominica)
·Parliamentary
Staff Development Workshop for Caribbean., Americas and the Atlantic Region
(St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda)
It was also noted that the
CPA participated in the following activities:
16th Commonwealth Ministerial Debt
Sustainability Forum (CMDSF) (Limassol, Cyprus)
Evaluating Parliament
Session – Association of Secretaries-General of Parliament (Geneva, Switzerland)
·Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting 2009 (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
World Trade Organization: Session of the Steering
Committee (Geneva, Switzerland)
State University of New York:
Workshop on Constituency Development Funds (Albany, New York, U.S.A.)
20th Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding
Officers Conference (New Delhi, India)
27th
Canadian Presiding Officers Conference (Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada)
·Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development: High-level Parliamentary Seminar on “Sustaining a Global
Recovery”
(Paris, France)
·United
Nations Development Programme: Launch of Parliamentary Development Portal
(AGORA) (Paris, France)
·Visit
to Rwanda (Kigali, Rwanda)
(ii)Update on Approved Programmes (including
Amendments)
The
Subcommittee considered two matters: an amendment to the Parliamentarians
Workshop to be held as a satellite meeting to the 9th Commonwealth
Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting, and a short report on programmes to be held
in the coming months.
(a)Parliamentarians Workshop at the 9th
Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (9WAMM) in 2010
The
Subcommittee was advised that the Secretariat had been unable to organize a CWP
Workshop on HIV/AIDS in South Africa in 2009 with funding of £20,000 from the
CPA Working Capital Fund. It was therefore proposed that the workshop be held
as a satellite Parliamentarians Workshop at the Commonwealth Women’s Affairs
Minister Meeting in Barbados in June. Additional funding of £12,400 would be
available from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The Executive
Committee had already agreed to spend £30,000 on the Parliamentarians Workshop
at the June ministerial meeting when it was to have discussed the gender
implications of the current global financial crisis. The Secretariat was now
proposing that these funds be used for other CWP programming, as decided by the
CWP Steering Committee. This other programming would include an allocation of
£5,000 for an Australian Region CWP meeting with participation from the Pacific
Region.
The
Subcommittee agreed that this would be an effective use of the funds and
therefore agreed to recommend:
Recommendation 15:
That the Executive
Committee agree that the CWP HIV/AIDS workshop, with £20,000 from the Working
Capital Fund, be held as a satellite workshop at the 9th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting
(9WAMM) in 2010.
Recommendation 16:
That the Executive
Committee agree that the budget of £30,000 from the Parliamentarians Workshop
at the 9th Commonwealth Women’s
Affairs Ministers Meeting (9WAMM) be reallocated for other CWP Programmes. This
includes an allocation of £5,000 to the Australian Region to conduct a CWP
Conference, and the remainder for activity to be determined by the CWP Steering
Committee at their next meeting in Kenya in 2010.
(b) Programme Update
The
Subcommittee noted updates on the following programmes, further details of
which can be found in Document PR9(ii):
Climate Change Study Group
for the Africa Region and National Workshop for the National Assembly of
Nigeria
Women and Leadership: A
Parliamentary Dialogue, Maldives
Workshop on Gender and
Democracy in the Pacific
CPA/WBI Asia/India Financial
Oversight Workshop
CPA/WTO Regional
Seminars on the International Trading System
Government and Opposition –Roles, Rights and
Responsibilities
Canadian Parliamentary
Seminar
22nd Commonwealth Parliamentary
Seminar
CPA/WBI Annual Conference
Post-Election Seminar,
Mozambique
Post-Election Seminar,
Maldives
Parliamentary Staff
Development Workshops
Recommendation 17:
That the Executive Committee note this
update on approved programmes.
(iii) Proposals
for New Programmes
The
Subcommittee considered proposals for five new projects to be added to the
CPA’s 2011 programme at a total cost to the association of £125,000. Details
of these projects are contained in Document PR9(iii). The Subcommittee understands
that the programmes have tentatively been included in the 2011 budget which is
also being considered by the Finance Subcommittee.
Listed below
are the proposed new programmes:
Branch
Project
Partners
Cost Region (£ estimated)
Swaziland
Technical Assistance Programme
Scottish Parliament
25,000
CPA/Kenya
Constituency Development Funds
SUNY/CID
25,000
Pacific
Finance for the Non-Finance Parliamentarian
25,000
Ghana
Establishment of an Institute of
Parliamentary Affairs
TBC
25,000
The Gambia
Technical Assistance Programme
Scottish Parliament
25,000
TOTAL:
£125,000
In discussing the proposal for a study
into constituency development funds, they agreed that the programme should aim
at establishing strict guidelines for the transparent and ethical use of such
funds, including whether they can be implemented in a way which is free of
corruption.
The
Subcommittee applauded the allocation of additional funds for more CPA
programmes, expressing the general view that current programme spending should
be expanded. It was informed that a proposal before the Finance Subcommittee
would empower the Secretariat to respond more quickly to requests for
programmes from Branches or proposals for collaborative work with other
organizations.
Recommendation 18:
That the Executive Committee approve the five new programme
proposals.
10. Any Other Business
There being no
other business, the Subcommittee adjourned to its next meeting in September in
Nairobi, Kenya.
Document E10(ii)
CPA
Executive Committee
Royal Swazi Spa Convention Centre
Ezulwini, Lobamba
Swaziland
8 – 13 May
2010
Report of the Finance Subcommittee
PRESENT:
Treasurer: Hon. Hashim Abdul Halim, MLA, Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly, West Bengal (India).
Africa: Hon. Job Yustino Ndugai, MP (Tanzania).
Hon. Marwick Khumalo, MP (Swaziland).
Hon.
Elijah Okupa, MP (Uganda), alternate for Hon. Sada Soli Jibia, MP (Nigeria).
Asia: Hon. Kiramatuallah Khan, MPA, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly,
Northwest Frontier (Pakistan).
Australia: Mr John Pandazopolous, MP (Victoria).
BIM: Mr Jeffrey Cuthbert, AM (Wales), alternate for Mr Alun Cairns, AM
(Wales).
Rt
Hon. Baroness D’Souza, United Kingdom, alternate for Mr Lindsay Hoyle, MP
(United Kingdom).
Canada: Hon. Paul Delorey,MLA, Speaker of the Northwest Territories
(Canada), alternate for the Hon. George Hickes, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative
Assembly, Manitoba (Canada).
Senator
Raynell Andreychuk (Canada) alternate for Mr Joe Preston, MP (Canada).
CAA: Hon. Hari N. Ramkarran, S.C., MP (Guyana).
Hon.
Alix Boyd Knights, MHA (Dominica).
India: Hon. Uday Narain Choudhary, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative
Assembly, Bihar (India).
Pacific: Hon. Dr Tetaua Taitai, MP (Kiribati).
SE Asia: Hon.Datuk Ronald Kiandee, MP, Deputy Speaker, House of
Representatives (Malaysia).
APOLOGIES FOR
ABSENCE:
Africa: Hon. Sada
Soli Jibia, MP (Nigeria).
BIM: Mr Alun
Cairns, AM (Wales).
Mr Lindsay Hoyle, MP (United
Kingdom).
Canada: Hon. George Hickes, MLA, Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly, Manitoba (Canada).
Mr Joe Preston, MP (Canada).
India: Hon. Tanka Bahadur Rai, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,
Assam (India).
Pacific: Hon. Snyder Rini, MP, Minister of Finance
& Treasury (Solomon Islands).
IN ATTENDANCE: Dr William F. Shija, Secretary-General
Mr David Broom, Director
of Finance & Administration
Mr Joe Omorodion,
Assistant Director of Finance
The meeting started at
11.55 hours.
AGENDA
ITEM
1 Welcome
and Opening Remarks & Adoption of Draft Agenda
1.The Chairman opened and welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially
those attending the meeting for the first time.
Adoption
of the Draft Agenda
2.The Agenda was adopted without change.
2Report of the Last Meeting held on 30th
September 2009 in Tanzania
3.Members approved the report of the meeting held on 30th
September 2009 as an accurate record to be signed by the Treasurer.
4.Concerning Recommendation 6 of the Report, the Canadian region
representatives advised that they did not give their support to methodology 2
at the meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.
3Matters Arising from the Meeting held on 30th
September 2009
5.The Subcommittee reviewed and agreed Document F3 on the
matters arising from the meeting held on the 30th September 2009.
6.Members’ noted the amounts expended on ICT assistance
programmes to St Lucia, Kwara and Zanzibar.
7.Members’ noted that the solicitors responses on the issues as
to where an employment contract should be executed and the legal definition of
‘children’ will be dealt with in the Secretary-General’s staff report.
8.Members’ noted that a Trustee Indemnity insurance policy was
now in place.
9.Members discussed the current methodology of collecting outstanding
membership fees and noted that Regional Secretaries should be asked to
assist in contacting Branches overdue in their respective regions.
RECOMMENDATION 1:
That the Executive Committee approve the
involvement of Regional Secretaries in the collection of outstanding membership
fees.
10.Members’ noted
that the Association made a group surplus of £487,968 (2008: £566,138)
before gains on investment assets. The group annual financials are comprised of
the annual financials of the Secretariat, Conference Assistance Fund and
Working Capital Fund.
11.Further
noted that, in broad terms, the surplus was
generated by the following (when compared to the budget):
Category
Comment
Amount
(£000)
Annual
Conf.
Write
back of funds not required
114
Consultants
Savings
on consultancies not required
35
Mid
Year Exco
Write
back of funds not required
46
Miscellaneous
Savings
on miscellaneous other expenses
65
Programmes
Savings
and/or prog’s that did not proceed
164
Salaries
One
position vacant throughout the year
40
Travel
Savings
on officials’ travel (Chair etc)
24
Total:
£488
12.Further noted that the final ‘sign-off’
of the accounts, by the auditors, will not take place until the auditors
receive duly signed copies (by the Treasurer and Secretary-General) of the annual
financial reports.
13.Members
expressed their thanks and appreciation to the Secretariat finance staff for
all their work in preparing and explaining the annual financial reports.
RECOMMENDATION 2:
That the Executive Committee approves
the 2009 Consolidated Accounts and that the Treasurer and Secretary-General
affix their signatures to five copies of the Consolidated and Headquarters
accounts.
4(ii) Auditors 2009
Representation and Management Letter
14.Members noted
the audit report and in particular that:
a)An unqualified audit certificate will be issued.
b)No material misstatements were identified.
c)No material uncorrected misstatements or reclassifications.
d)No material weaknesses in the accounting and control systems.
e)The Trustees’ Report and financials comply with UK Accounting
Standards and the Charities Act 1993.
f)No inappropriate accounting policies or procedures were identified.
15.Further
noted that the auditors recommended the
establishment of a register of donors to ensure that the Association complies
with the Finance Act 2006 which requires that a list of substantial donors is
maintained. In this context a substantial donor is one who donates either tax
relievable gifts of at least £25,000 within a twelve month period or of
£100,000 within a six year period.
16.Members
reviewed the Management response and noted that it was in a standard
format and was required to be signed by the Chairperson and Treasurer.
RECOMMENDATION 3:
That the Executive Committee note the
audit report, approve the management response letter and that the Chairperson
and Treasurer affix their signatures to the management letter.
RECOMMENDATION 4:
That the Association establish a
‘Register of Donors’ to record the details of donors of substantial gifts.
5(i) Membership Fees –
Branches in Suspension as at 31 March 2010
17.Members noted
that, as at 31 March 2010, ten (10) Branches were in
suspension for the non-payment of their membership fees totalling £74,656.
18.There then
followed a discussion on the possible reasons for Branches not paying their
membership fees.
RECOMMENDATION 5:
That the Executive Committee request the
Regional Representatives to continue to pursue all the defaulting Branches in
their own Region to pay the outstanding membership fees.
5(ii)Debtors Listing
19.Members reviewed the report which detailed the Branches in arrears
(over 90 days old and excluding suspended branches) as at 31st March
2010.
20.Noted that the total amount outstanding
as at 31st March 2010 was £1,208,456 representing 47% of the total
invoiced amount for 2010.
21.A discussion then took place on the need to provide the Subcommittee
with an addendum paper in the future which details Branches that have since
paid their fees.
22.Members also discussed the issue of providing advice to Branches
that, unless their membership fees are paid in full no later than 90 days prior
to the annual conference, they will not be permitted to attend.
RECOMMENDATION 6:
That the Secretariat continues to take
all necessary steps to ensure that these arrears are fully recovered.
RECOMMENDATION 7:
That the Secretariat provides an
addendum paper on fees received since the original reconciliation/advice.
RECOMMENDATION 8:
That the Secretariat ensure that formal
advice regarding the requirement to pay outstanding membership fees no less
than 90 days prior to the annual conference is forwarded to Branches without
delay.
5(iii) Membership Fees
Review – Responses from Branches
23.Noted that a report on the review had been sent to all Branches for
comment. The report provided details on the three methodologies previously
selected by the Executive Committee including (but not limited to):
·A background on why the review was necessary.
·History of the current system.
·Details of each of the three methodologies.
·Listing of fees that would be due under each
methodology.
·The next steps in the process.
·Future reviews.
24.Further
noted that thirty-six (36) branches had provided
responses representing 20% of the total Branches which received a copy of the
review.
25.Based on
the responses received, the preferences for each methodology are as follows:
M1
(do nothing) 20 (56%)
M2
(adjusted equity) 13 (36%)
M3
(CPA scale of assessment) 3 ( 8%)
26.Some (ie
not all) Branches rated each methodology and based on those responses the views
of Branches are as follows:
M1 2 stated that it is ‘poor’.
6 stated that it is
‘acceptable’.
8 stated that it is ‘good’ or
‘very good’.
M2 7 stated that it is ‘poor’ or
‘very poor’.
2 stated that it is
‘acceptable’.
6 stated that it is ‘good’ or
‘very good’.
M3 11 stated that it is ‘poor’ or
‘very poor’.
2 stated that it is
‘acceptable’.
27.Members
also noted that some Branches had provided additional comments
including:
Review operating
costs/management of the plenary conference (9)
Link the fees review to the Working Party
on governance (6)
Not enough time to fully evaluate and
consult (6)
28. There
then followed a discussion on whether Branches should be given additional time
to respond and whether the Working Party should have the question of the fees
review included as part of their tasks.
RECOMMENDATION 9:
That the Executive Committee allows
further time for Branches to respond (up to 15 July 2010) and for any Branches
who have already responded to change or update their response.
RECOMMENDATION 10:
That the Executive Committee agree on
the proposal to link the fees review to the work of the proposed Working Party.
5(iv) Determination of
CPA Branch Membership Fees for the 2011 year.
29.Noted that the decision on whether or not to increase the membership fees
was deferred (at the Executive Committee’s request) from the Bermuda 2009
meeting and that any decision regarding a new methodology for calculating
membership fees was unlikely to be made in the short term.
30.Further
noted that the UK annual Retail Price Index (RPI)
for 2009 was 2.4%.
RECOMMENDATION 11:
That the Executive Committee advise the
Working Party to consider the proposed increase in 2011 fees immediately prior
to the Nairobi annual conference for an Executive Committee decision at that
meeting.
6(i) CPA
Secretariat Budget
31.Members
were informed of the main changes to the proposed 2010-2012 budgets since the
last meeting of the Executive Committee in Arusha, Tanzania in October 2009.
The changes are attached to this report as an appendix.
32.Noted that the projected ‘bottom’ line performances are surpluses of £608
(2010), £150,444 (2011) and £198,218 (2012).
33.Two items
are not included in the current budget figures being:
·A proposal to expend £125,000 on new programmes
in 2011.
·An amount of £117,000 for the CPA Centennial
Project.
34.Noted
that the
2011 projected budget surplus could be used to pay for the £125k in new
programmes.
35.Further noted that the
Centennial Project could be funded out of surplus general reserves.
36.Members
considered the remainder of the budget figures, in particular, the projected
accumulated surpluses for each of the years.
37.Members
also considered the cost and composition of the proposed Working Party and noted the
budgeted costs as proposed could be reduced if the Working Party was configured
in a different way in terms of its composition and mode of meeting. Their view
was that considerable savings could be made in this area which, they further noted, was
not yet included in the annual budget.
38.Members
also requested that the Secretariat analyse its staffing costs as a percentage
of turnover over the past five years and compare to similar organisations.
RECOMMENDATION 12:
That the Executive Committee approves the budget for 2010
and notes the projections for 2011 and 2012.
RECOMMENDATION 13:
That the Secretariat re-calculates the
Working Party budget with due regard to any agreed format and mode of meeting.
RECOMMENDATION 14:
That the Secretariat provides a
five-year analysis of staffing costs as a percentage of turnover and make
comparisons against other organisations.
6(ii) CPA
Secretariat - Management Accounts February 2010
39.Members
of the Subcommittee reviewed the Income and Expenditure Accounts, Balance Sheet
and Notes.
40.Noted
that the surplus to date is largely
generated as a result of accrual reversals totaling approximately £80k.
41.Further noted that the
reversals related to two types of programmes (Training Workshops for
Parliamentary Staff and ICT for Branches) were thoroughly reviewed with the
Association’s auditors.
RECOMMENDATION 15:
That the Executive Committee adopts the
CPA Secretariat Financial Management Report for the period 1 January to 28
February 2010.
6(iii) Working Capital Fund - Budget (2010 to
2012)
6(iv) Working Capital Fund - Audited Financial
Reports 2009
6(v) Working Capital Fund – Management Accounts
February 2010
42.The
Treasurer informed the Subcommittee that the Trustees had presented papers
6(iii), 6(iv) and 6(v) to the Subcommittee for noting.
43.Noted
that these reports had been reviewed and
approved by the Trustees and in the case of the Audited Financial Reports
signed off by the Treasurer and Secretary-General.
RECOMMENDATION 16:
That the
Executive Committee notes the reports as approved by the Trustees.
6(vi) Conference Assistance Fund - Budget (2010 to
2012)
6(vii) Conference Assistance Fund – Audited
Financial Reports 2009
6(viii) Conference Assistance Fund – Management
Accounts February 2010
44.The
Treasurer informed the Subcommittee that the Trustees had presented Papers
6(vi), 6(vii) and 6(viii) to the Subcommittee for noting.
45.Noted
that these reports had been reviewed and
approved by the Trustees and in the case of the Audited Financial Reports
signed off by the Treasurer and Secretary-General.
RECOMMENDATION 17:
That the
Executive Committee notes the reports as approved by the Trustees.
7 Legal
Advice on Reserves & Public Benefits
46.Noted that the advice provided by Wilsons Solicitors on the reserves of
the Association concurs with the previous advice provided by the Secretariat.
47.Further
noted that, as a result of several annual ‘bottom
line’ surpluses, the Association’s general reserves have built up over the past
few years to £1,007,620. This amount offsets (to some degree) the capital
losses incurred by the Association’s investments.
48.Members
discussed the potential for the Charity Commission to react unfavourably to
this build up of reserves but felt that it was justified in view of the
investment capital losses. Members noted that there was potential for
the Association to use some of the reserve on additional programmes/project if
the projected programme expenditure does occur in any given year.
49.Noted that the advice provided by Wilsons Solicitors on the public
benefits test concurs with the previous advice provided by the Secretariat.
50.Further
noted that Wilsons have advised that the objects of
the Association have not been updated with the Charity Commission since 23
September 1977 and they advise that this should be corrected at the earliest
possible time. The Secretariat is of the view that Wilsons should be engaged to
attend to this matter.
RECOMMENDATION 18:
That the Executive Committee approve the
use of Wilsons Solicitors to arrange for the updating of the Association’s
objects with the Charity Commission.
8 Investments
51.Noted that the total value of the Association’s investments as at 25 March
2010 was £7,133,538 and the current investment market value/mix is as per the
following:
Vehicle
£000
%
J P Morgan Liquidity Fund
1,900
27%
Royal Bank of Scotland Global Fund
505
7%
Coutts & Co:
Fixed Interest
1,804
25%
Equities
2,291
32%
Hedge Funds
539
8%
Cash
95
1%
7,134
100%
Further noted that the market value of the Coutts investments (which are
controlled by the WCF/CAF Trustees) has begun to appreciate again and shows an
increase of £268k in the quarter ended 31 December 2009. However, Members also noted
that revenue from the Coutts investments has fallen from an average of
around £50k per quarter to £25k in the quarter ended 31 December 2009 and
current yields are approximately 2.5% per annum.
52.The
Secretariat provided members with an update on the Coutts investments revenue
situation (which is being closely monitored by the Trustees) as advised by
Coutts. This was that Coutts recommend that the current investment mix and risk
profile (low to medium) be maintained.
53.Noted that the funds invested in the J P Morgan Liquidity Fund and RBS
Global Fund are only attracting yields of 0.35% and 0.71% respectively. Further
noted that the Secretariat does not currently have any power to make
changes to these investments in order to seek better returns in a timely
manner.
54.Members
again expressed their appreciation at the level of detail contained within the
finance subcommittee papers.
RECOMMENDATION 19:
That the Executive Committee notes the
above advice and approves the proposal for the Secretariat (in telephone
consultation with the Treasurer) to make changes to non-CAF/WCF investments –
each subject to the unanimous agreement of the Treasurer, Secretary-General and
Director, Finance & Administration.
9 Risk
Management and Fraud Control
55.Noted that the Secretariat had introduced a Business and Financial Risk
Management Plan and a Fraud Control Plan as part of its Financial Management
Compliance Framework (FMCF).
56.Further
noted that the Secretariat intends to introduce two
new policies/procedures covering Disaster Recovery and Information Security.
57.The
Secretariat advised that there are no significant risks to the Association at
this time and that work on a new chart of accounts, standardised methods of
budgeting, financial reporting and variation reporting were continuing.
RECOMMENDATION 20:
That the Executive Committee notes the
above advice.
10 CPA
Staff Salaries – Inflationary Adjustment
58.Noted that in Abuju, Nigeria, in September 2006, the Executive Committee
agreed that future staff salaries should be adjusted for inflation annually by
the UK Gross Domestic Deflator Index (UKGDDI) and that the UKGDDI for the 2010
calendar/financial year is 2.75%.
RECOMMENDATION 21:
That the Executive Committee approves an
inflationary adjustment to all staff salaries of 2.75% effective 1 July 2010.
11 Secretary-General’s
Travel
59.Noted that, since the Arusha, Tanzania meeting, the Secretary-General
(and assistant(s)) had undertaken the following trips (up to and including 28
February 2010):
Date Where Reason Total
Cost (£)
Nov 09 Trinidad &
Tobago CHOGM 8,288
Dec 09 Switzerland WTO
Steering Committee 624
Dec 09 New Zealand Branch
visit
Dec 09 Samoa Branch
visit 10,399
Jan 10 Malaysia Branch visit
Jan 10 India Branch
visits/CSPOC conf. 10,814
Jan 10 India Climate
change conference
Jan 10 Sri Lanka Branch
visit
Feb 10 Malaysia Coordinating
Committee Mtg 5,905
Feb 10 Kenya Pre-conference
visit
Feb 10 Tanzania Branch visit
17,602
53,632
RECOMMENDATION 22:
That the Executive
Committee notes the above advice.
12 Constitutional
Changes (re Debtors)
60.Noted that the Executive Committee approved a new Debtor Management
policy/procedure at their meeting in Arusha, Tanzania. The new policy/procedure
requires that the Secretary-General is given:
·The discretion to suspend Branches which are more
than 120 days in arrears in paying their annual membership fee.
61.The
Constitution currently states that only the Executive Committee has the power
to suspend Branches for non-payment of fees and then only when such fees are
more than twelve months overdue.
RECOMMENDATION 23:
That the Executive Committee agrees that
the Working Party review the Debtors policy regarding the change to the period
and authority in which a Branch can be suspended.
13 Declaration
of Interests/Eligibility to Act
62.Noted that, during the annual audit, the auditors had asked to inspect the
‘Declaration of Interest/Eligibility to Act’ form as completed by each Member
of the Executive Committee.
63.Further
noted that, to date, only five (5) Members of the
Executive Committee had completed their declaration as requested at the meeting
in Arusha, Tanzania.
RECOMMENDATION 24:
That the Executive Committee requests
all Members, who have not yet completed their declaration, do so before leaving
Swaziland.
14. Programme Approval Process
64.Noted that the current approval process for programmes is lengthy and time
consuming and as a result may be contributing towards programme opportunities
being lost.
65.The
Secretariat has put forward a proposal to improve the programme approval
process by allowing the Secretary-General greater flexibility in undertaking
various programmes specifically:
a)That the Executive Committeeshallapprove an annual total
budget to be spent on programmes at their meeting held just prior to the annual
conference.
b)That the Secretariat shall provide an outline of the potential
programmes including possible dates, locations, topics or theme.
c)That the Secretary-General has the responsibility and discretion to
choose programmes – provided that they comply with the aims/objects of the
Association as detailed in the Constitution. The Executive Committee can modify
the proposed list.
d)That the Secretary-General be given the power to implement:
e)The programmes that the annual total budget is to be expended upon,
as recommended by the Planning Subcommittee and approved by the Executive
Committee.
f)That the Secretary-General can, where necessary, substitute other
programmes (without prior reference to the Executive Committee). This power
only to be activated in cases of where a host Branch (or funding partner) is
unable or unwilling to undertake a proposed programme at the scheduled time or
within the next budget year.
g)That an amount of £50,000 be included in the total budget for
programmes that may arise during the year and which can be expended on
programmes as the Secretary-General thinks fit.
h)That the Secretariat continues to provide, at each Executive
Committee meeting, a brief report on the status of all programmes.
66.Further
noted that the above changes will allow the
Secretary-General to have greater flexibility in providing funding for
unforeseen and urgent programmes and will allow prompt decisions to be made
without having to wait until the next Executive Committee meeting.
RECOMMENDATION 25:
That the Executive Committee agree to
the above changes to programme approval procedures.
There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 5.15pm, to
re-convene at 10.45am on 10 May 2010.
The meeting
re-convened at 11.00am on 10 May 2010 to receive a video conference call from
the Auditors in London however, due to technical difficulties, this was unable
to take place.
The Subcommittee then clarified the contents
of the Programme Approval Process paper and determined their recommendation 25
as it appears above.
There being no
further business the meeting closed.