Guidance on the Equality ActWe have produced a series of guides outlining the key changes in the law made by the act . To sign up to receive email updates of the work of the Government Equalities Office please contact GEOcomms@geo.gsi.gov.uk. Chartered Secretaries follow our lead - The ICSA has decided to become The Governance Institute and we wish them well and congratulate them on following our lead in putting good governance first and as The Faculty moves into 2020 with a very special AGM and a look at what fair play really means in our present day society we hope from our chip chip hack hack what comes next proposals to be able to really contribute to fairness and justice in organisations and company registration. We commend and recommend all members to make use of the free resources of the Institute - they have more money than we do but we also commend you to add your ideas to make us claim out place in the governance and fair play revolution. We are equal and our members just as special - we however recommend allegiance to only one - come and apply for membership assessment. Congratulations fromThe Faculty of Secretaries 
 General, when Walker completes his term of office towards the end of this year. Martin has led privately owned Clugston Group, a construction, logistics and property company based in Scunthorpe, since 2006. During this time, the firm has featured in The Sunday Times Profit Track 100, The Sunday Times Top Track 250, and been celebrated in the London Stock Exchange’s 1,000 Companies To Inspire Britainreport. Originally from Northern Ireland, Martin has been recognised personally with several construction industry awards, and has been highly commended twice in the IoD’s own Director of the Year Awards. In 2009, Martin also took part in the first series of Channel 4’s Undercover Boss, which saw him going incognito in his own company to learn what employees really thought of the firm. “I am very excited to be taking on this new challenge at the IoD, working together with Lady Judge to make sure we are the organisation of choice for all company directors,” Martin said today. “I have found the support IoD membership provides invaluable in my role running a business in Scunthorpe and want to further strengthen the Institute’s position in all regions and nations of the UK. The IoD’s mission to provide excellent professional development for directors is hugely important to ensuring British companies are well-run, and I look forward to continuing innovation in director training.” Lady Barbara Judge, Chairman of the IoD, congratulated Martin on his appointment: “I am very pleased we have found such a strong leader to take over as Director General at the IoD. Stephen Martin has demonstrated his commercial ability at large and small companies over many years and will continue the excellent work of Simon Walker in making sure we continue to provide the best possible support, training and representation for British business leaders. “Stephen is a long-standing IoD Fellow who has played an active part in the business community in Yorkshire and the Humber. He understands the challenges faced by company directors across the UK and I look forward to working closely with him as we help our members adapt to the new world we find ourselves in after the Brexit vote.” And Simon Walker, who has been Director General of the IoD since 2011, also welcomed his successor: “Many congratulations to Stephen on his appointment. The last five years have been a tumultuous time for businesses, but the IoD is in very good shape to support members through the challenging times ahead. I have every confidence that Stephen, working alongside Barbara, will be able to take the organisation to even greater heights.”HMRC hosts first annual conference for stakeholders
HMRC hosted stakeholders at an event in London on 18 July 2013 as part of the department's commitment to greater transparency and accountability.  The conference provided the opportunity for HMRC leaders to share and discuss performance against key objectives over the last year and how HMRC plans to continue to improve our performance in the future. You can find out more about HMRC’s activities this year in the latest business plan update. The update also sets out some of our longer term ambitions ahead of a more comprehensive Business Plan to be published in 2014. During the conference Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke announced that the total amount of tax protected by tackling corporate tax avoidance schemes has passed £1 billion so far in 2013. Speeches from David Gauke and HMRC leaders are available to read in full:
As part of HMRC’s commitment to transparency, the conference was tweeted live from @HMRCconferences and on the hashtag #HMRCconf. During a question and answer session at the event, HMRC leaders answered questions from attendees, and questions received via Twitter. Conference attendees were shown the video below explaining how HMRC operates. Accessible Media Player by NomensaPlayRewindForward Mute- Volume Down+ Volume Up100% Organisations that attended the conference included:
: Government announces English Language initiative! The Faculty says groups should do al they can to promote English Language teaching and will work with The Society of Teachers in Business Education, Commerce and the Community to promote this. Communities Secretary announces a new competition to enable those individuals with low levels of spoken English to fulfil their potential.  In a speech hosted by British Future and the Policy Exchange, setting out the government’s continued commitment to promoting integration, the Secretary of State expressed how learning English should be a priority because too many people are closed off from, and unable to participate in, their communities because of a lack of literacy. In the past there has been the tendency to pay for interpreters, or translate documents into foreign languages, for those with no or extremely poor language skills. This undermines community integration and encourages segregation. Today, in 5% of households no one speaks English as their main language. The government is therefore launching a new competition to back innovative and creative ways of delivering community-based English language programmes that will help to integrate participants into their local communities and also offer financial benefits. While English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses provide an excellent service and help a lot of people, the nature of many English language courses means that a significant proportion of non-English speaking residents are not accessing this tuition, even when they are eligible for a fee reduction. Often these courses are not suited to their needs. They may be held in large further education colleges without childcare facilities and too far from home, which can create an intimidating and impractical learning environment. The government wants to support those missing out by uncovering new ways to teach basic conversational English to people in areas facing significant language barriers and integration challenges. This can increase the opportunity for people to take part in their communities, mix with neighbours from different backgrounds and help move them towards employment. Community groups, charitable organisations and businesses are invited to enter the competition and say how they would go about providing English language programmes that will reach those groups and teach not only English skills, but give learners the confidence to aspire to their full potential in British society. Ideas on how these programmes could be sustained over the longer term to help more people who need this support are also being sought. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:
Further informationDetails of the competition are available in the Community-based English language prospectus. The competition will take the form of a 2 stage process. In the first stage entrants will be asked to submit an expression of interest setting out in brief terms their ideas as to how they would implement their solutions of how to provide English language support to:
The competition is targeted at those most in need who may not have accessed English language tuition in the past. We want projects to reach those:
A second prospectus will be published in early 2013 for stage 2. We envisage that up to 4 successful bids will receive a share of up to £6 million of funding to help turn their ideas into reality. The Secretary of State’s speech was hosted by British Future and the Policy Exchange. In the 2011 census data, 5% of households do not contain an adult with English as a main language 2013 Annual Meeting and Conference will be in Lincoln, September 3 - 5 Delegates will be invited to the CIty with one of the fast growing universities in the UK and with a long and proud civic history which also has a wealth of private companies and community and voluntary bodies. Historic and picturesque, Lincoln is one of the world’s great small cities, renowned for its striking fusion of old and new. Lincoln Cathedral, which dominates the city at the top of Steep Hill, is celebrated as one of the finest medieval landmarks in Europe. Together with Lincoln Castle and the cobbled Bailgate, it is a reminder of the city’s long and fascinating history. The University of Lincoln is situated in the heart of the city, overlooking the café culture of the Brayford waterfront. The modern marina is filled with popular bars and restaurants and a cinema, while the city centre and uphill areas offer a more diverse and cultural scene. Lincoln is one of the safest and friendliest cities in the UK with its main attractions within a short walk of the city centre. The combination of a vibrant atmosphere and warm community feel makes Lincoln a fantastic place to live and study Home to a number of professional bodies and learned organisations Lincoln is rapidly rivaling larger cities as a place to be. Calls for a Unitary Authority for Greater Lincoln an the opportunities for better governance for the local authority are an interesting subject for discussion and this is just one of the topics delegates may wish to consider. Originally placed on the Edinburgh, Durham, York, (Lincoln), Cambridge, London stagecoach axis Lincoln is taking its place with these other cities in successfully transforming itself for the 21st Century whilst retaining its historic charm.
ttt Faculty updates its Governance Award FACULTY OF SECRETARIES GOVERNANCE TRAINING AND ENDORSED ‘MARK’ FACULTY ‘MARK’ The Governance Accreditation scheme is a programme and scheme by which (with the aid of their corporate secretary, organisations examine their own policies and practices around governance against guidelines set by The Faculty of Secretaries and Administrators and The Association of Corporate Secretaries with the objective of reaching a standard that commits the organisation to ‘plain English’, keeping things simple, equality and equity, . It encourages, promotes and endorses good practice in accordance with the ‘governance standards’ which fall into the following categories:
Organisations are assigned a mentor who will in almost all cases be a Certified Public Secretary or qualified Corporate Secretary or approved equivalent who has also approved training experience. Most of these mentors will be members of The Society of Teachers in Business Education. This is essentially a peer review kitemark and every effort is made to ensure that the mentor and reviewing assessor have a background knowledge of the type of entity being considered for the Faculty ‘Mark’. A key plank of the Faculty Governance model is that any organisation is either satisfactory in the context of the environment and practices indicated by Faculty standards or they are not and falling short need to be given reccommendations that will allow the applicant if they so desire to bring things to a satisfactory level. There are no merits or better than satisfactory categories and organisations either achieve the Faculty ‘Mark’ or are referred. In the case of private,public and community and voluntary sector organisations which operate governance training programmes of their own either internally or for third parties (e.g. infrastructure organiisations or franchises) this is an opportunity to offer an externally endorsed certification of that training and this is a facility of the scheme. There is also a scheme for very small organisations which gives an endorsement and support without the ‘mark’. The Faculty wishes to stress the importance of the promotion of Equity and Simplicity as an outcome of Governance Review. Endorsed training will reflect directors, officers and trustees responsibility to act in the interests of the organisation and at all time promote 'fairness' through a board or committee of equals and will make clear the roles of executive and non-executive members of boards.T Organisations wishing to apply for the Faculty ‘Mark’ must make application by letter to the Faculty at Godalming or the assessing agent on receipt of which an invoice will be raised (directly or through the assessing agent) and a mentor and assessor appointed.
he Faculty cannot stress to strongly the importance of the pro Fees. Public Companies/Public Bodies/Large Charities P.O.A. Private Companies/Charities (who do not have a qualified corporate secretary to include one individual qualifying assessment) GBP 1500 Entities with a qualified corporate secretary GBP 750 Unincorporated Organisation/Small Charities Very small community organisations in the United Kingdom GBP 150 Entities with a qualified corporate secretary GBP 750 Very small community organisations in the United Kingdom GBP
i NEW BOOK OFFER FROM DSC MAY HELP CORPORATE SECRETARIES OF CHARITIES The Charity Accounts Compliance Checklist and the Charity Finance Yearbook are both vital resources for all your charity accounting needs. DSC is currently offering a fantastic special deal whereby if you buy both of these publications you will save £15 from the total price – only £45 for both publications.  The Charity Accounts Compliance Checklist 2011
Click here to purchase this publication for only £30 THE UK CENSUS IS COMING - DO YOUR BIT FOR THE FACULTY AND CORPORATE SECRETARIES
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Make sure that you mention Faculty of Secretaries - write it in on the the relevant level
Fellow and Associate at Degree Level and Licentiate at HND Level.
The coding in the 1981 Census was as follows - make sure we are mentioned.
And in Scotland its different
 NEVER FORGET THAT THE FACULTY AS ORIGINALLY FOUNDED ALSO HAD A STATISTICS LEVEL OF QUALIFICATION IN ITS MEMBERSHIP OFFER - ANOTHER PART OF OUR PROUD HISTORY
Items of current interest - our journal page - items can be found in Archive Pages for some months after they leave the journal page.
 Lobbying for the Community Sector
Charles Shaw,FFCS as current Vice-Chair of Voluntary Sector North West
played a role in supporting the Early Day Motion on support for the sector and is seen here at the Houses of
Parliament with Mark Hunter MP (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle) in the Lobby Corridors of Partliament.
Further to this the listen value invest lobby was supported by Charles at the September Conference at Manchester Conference Centre and Charles is shown with The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP and Ms
Debby Dalby, Chief Exective of Halton Voluntary Action (Chair: Voluntary Sector North West).
Further Represtatives of the Lobby had met with a wide section of Members of Parliament across a range of political parties and areas as shown by the meeting with Tim Farron MP. Shown Below.
The Aldermanbury Declaration
 The Chartered Insurance Institute has issued the above declaration - with partners as a result of work on its
task force on standards in 'general insurance'. The Faculty of Secretaries supports the general principles outlines in the documents.
The Retail Distribution Review
Governs standards in Financial Services and whilst supporting the quality intent in this The Faculty believes that it is the responsibility of professional association to draw reference to anomilies between the roles of those at the top of corporations and the corporate responsibility roles as compared with direct customer facing roles and will be studying the equity of proposals.
The Review increased the minimum level of qualification required of financial advisers of all types in the United Kingdom - i.e. those delivering retail financial services.
Charitable Incorporated organisations
Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, has said that legislation to enable charitable incorporated organisations to be incorporated under the provisions of the Charities Act 2006 will be tabled early in 2011. Under the CIO model, charities would be able to have limited liability without the need to register as companies and file accounts with Companies House. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101122/text/101122w0006.htm#10112252001162 Internet services
The Cabinet Office has published DirectGov 2010 and Beyond: Revolution not Evolution. The report by Martha Lane Fox, UK Digital Champion, calls for radical improvements to government internet services in order to provide higher-quality and more convenient services to users. It says that public services should increasingly be provided digitally 'by default'. http://download.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/digital/directgov-2010-and-beyond.pdf Get Legal – an on-line resource for charities
A free online reference and decision-making tool for charities, social enterprises and co-operative organisations has been developed by NCVO, with support from BWB, to enable organisations and their advisors to access clear information and guidance on the most appropriate legal form and governance structure for delivering their goals. Go to http://www.getlegal.org.uk/ Corporate Governance in the Financial Sector - What do you think?members observations on the following article which appeared in The Guardian Newspaper are welcomed.
Well thought our articles from members can be considered for inclusion in 'Corporate Secretary'.
Walker report a 'crashing disappointment'Sir David Walker has missed the chance to rewrite the rule book on banking – and produced some minor tweaks instead
Nine months' work. One hundred and eighty submissions of information and opinion. A weighty interim report, and 167 pages of final recommendations: so much work for so little. Sir David Walker's review of the corporate governance of banks, ordered back in February, is a crashing disappointment – an anti-climax of even greater proportions than the anodyne code of practice he drew up for the private equity business in 2007. Here was a chance to rewrite the rulebook in a bid to ensure that there would be no re-run of last year's crisis when two of Britain's biggest banks, it has now emerged, needed £62bn of secret Bank of England support to keep their doors open. Instead we have some relatively minor tweaking. Lord Myners' speech to the Council of Christians and Jews City seminar in the hours before the Walker tome was officially published said it all – it was a visceral, no-holds barred attack on the City and its warped values, a view that is shared by most of the population. It was the sort of attack a career banker like Walker just would not compute. Myners spoke of the "heads I win, tails you lose mentality" of bankers, the need to end "egregious remuneration schemes" and urged shareholders to demand bonuses be withheld. Walker, however, was never going to rattle the teacups. Take his suggestion that banks should disclose how many "high end" employees, earning more than £1m a year, they employ. He has refused to name the very highest earners whose salaries are not currently disclosed because they are not on the board. Only journalists and politicians want names, he says. It would drive precious talent abroad and would be used by those in other banks to ratchet up their own salaries. Instead banks will have to declare how many staff earn more than £1m, with bands for higher earners and details of what sector they work in, which will be used by rivals to ratchet up their own pay anyway. How did he arrive at £1m to denote "high end" earners when anyone who has not spent their career in investment banking might think it should be a fraction of that sum? Well, it was a "good" number, he says. How many bankers earn more than that? He's not sure. Hundreds? Definitely. Thousands? Possibly. Walker wants to see stronger chairmen, subjected to annual re-election, and provides a guide to how boards should be run, how chairmen should encourage non-executives to challenge the full-time bankers. Can it really be true that £500,000-a-year chairmen do not already do this? They need training in how derivatives work – oh, and they need more pay for being more thorough. Non-executive directors, meanwhile, must be strong and experienced individuals willing to be stand up and be counted. Would anyone have thought the industrialists and former mandarins on the Royal Bank board were anything but that? A senior independent should ensure communication with big investors although that has been the role of the SID since it was codified in the Higgs report on corporate governance in 2003. Banks should have risk committees as well as audit committees, though Northern Rock had one of those, to no avail. Shareholders, meanwhile, must be more demanding and sign up to another code outlining their ownership responsibilities. Walker says he is "sympathetic with Guardian types ... it is outrageous that we have been left all this debt". But he is an investment banker and an old-school City man. He was never the man for this job. The question is: why was he ever given itf banks, ordered back in February, is a crashing disappointment – an anti-climax of even greater proportions FOR THE SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED COMPANY Is 4 Profit is a small business support website that gives a useful definition of the role of Company Secretary. Role of the Company SecretaryIf you accept appointment as a company secretary, you will become an officer of the company, sharing legal responsibilities with the directors for certain tasks required by the Companies Act. It is in everyone's interest to ensure that you are the right person for the job, and that you get adequate support in doing it. Since 6 April 2008, it has not been obligatory for a private company to appoint a company secretary, although most companies continue to do so. The company secretary is often also appointed as a director, but does not have to be. This briefing looks at the role of the company secretary and covers:
There are 8 pages on the Company Secretary section of their wesite http://www.is4profit.com do let us have your observations. http://www.is4profit.com/business-advice/business-strategy/role-of-the-company-secretary.html Chartered Institute goes for a song
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) is pleased to announce that Roger Dickinson LLB MBL has joined the Institute as Chief Executive. Roger Dickinson has been a chief executive, director, company secretary and lawyer for over 20 years working in a number of sectors - electronics, utility, engineering, life sciences and innovation investment. Most recently, Roger has been Chief Executive of ITI Scotland, the government-sponsored initiative to achieve an economic transition to a "Smart Successful Scotland". Prior to joining ITI Scotland, Roger spent three years as Chief Corporate Officer with Gemini Genomics plc. As Chief Corporate Officer, he defined and implemented the corporate, legal and business infrastructure leading to Gemini's flotation on the American NASDAQ market and its subsequent merger with Sequenom Inc. a US bio-tech company. Prior to working with Gemini, Roger spent six years as Group Company Secretary and General Counsel with AWG plc. Earlier, he was Group Company Secretary and General Counsel with Domino Printing Sciences plc, a Cambridge based industrial electronics company. Roger started his career as a solicitor with the British Technology Group, involved in venture capital work and the commercial exploitation of inventions arising from research at UK universities. Speaking of the appointment, ICSA's UK President Charmian Allcock said 'We are delighted to welcome Roger Dickinson to the Institute. His extensive experience in senior capacities gives him the understanding and enthusiasm to be a strong advocate for the profession of Chartered Secretary and Administrator. He will work with the UK Committee and its staff to meet employer needs in commerce, industry, the independent and public sectors both as an Institute and through the work of our commercial ventures in related fields' 'I'm very pleased to be joining ICSA' says Roger 'The organisation has huge potential for growth and development since there's not a very wide recognition of what a Chartered Secretary can do - or does- in an organisation. I think we're the best placed of all professional bodies to push corporate governance and company secretarial issues up the agenda and one of my key objectives will be to enhance the status of the company secretary in the corporate world.' A full interview with Roger Dickinson will appear in the November issue of Chartered Secretary magazine. Editors Note: Roger Dickinson succeeds John Ainsworth who, himself a member of the Institute, has served as Chief Executive since 1990 and will be working for a transitional phase with his successor. With over 100 years' experience, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) is the recognised global voice on governance and regulatory issues in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. As the qualifying body for company secretaries and senior administrators, ICSA has 52,000 members and students worldwide. A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk. Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) We would like to take the customary opportunity of wishing Mr Dickinson well and expect that he will trustfully respect that there is more than one qualifying body for company secretaries, in our case since 1930.
Automatic enrolment – the new compulsory pension scheme
Under the current policy design, the new Automatic Enrolment Pension Scheme will commence in October 2012, and will require Employers to enrol all Employees aged between 22 and the State Pension age, and who earn between £7,475 and £33,540, onto a Company pension scheme.
From October 2012 to September 2016 (2017 maybe for those with under 30 employees), Employers will be brought into the scheme by the Pensions Regulator, in a managed way called ‘staging’.
Employers will be assigned a staging date by the Pensions Regulator. On that date they must automatically enrol eligible workers into a qualifying Workplace Pension Scheme – as defined by the Pensions Regulator. The largest employers are staged first (using PAYE scheme size as a proxy for employer size) through to the smallest.
All Employers will receive letters from the Pensions Regulator 12 months and then 3 months ahead of their staging date. The letter will tell them when their staging date is and what they must do to comply with their Automatic Enrolment duties. The Pensions Regulator will publish guidance to help employers understand their duties.
Costs to Employers can be divided into two distinct elements.
1 The Contribution costs to the Employer of providing the three per cent minimum contribution to Employees who remain in pensions saving. These costs represent a transfer to the Employee, rather than a pure cost in economic terms. Employees will have to provide a minimum contribution of 5%. 2 Administrative costs – for example the cost of setting up a pension scheme, automatically enrolling employees, calculating and deducting contributions, dealing with Employees who wish to opt out, and registering with The Pensions Regulator – represent a true economic cost.
Employers will have to undertake a series of tasks in order to comply with the new duties:
· Offer a qualifying pension scheme with a minimum contribution of eight per cent of a band of qualifying earnings, with at least three per cent from the Employer for defined contribution schemes. · Automatically enrol all eligible jobholders on their staging date and make contributions to a qualifying pension scheme during a one-month joining window. · Provide information to jobholders during the one-month joining window to let them know they are being automatically enrolled and have the right to opt-out in the month after Automatic Enrolment. · Facilitate opt-outs for Employees who do not wish to be enrolled, and make refunds to those workers. · Register with The Pensions Regulator and provide them with information on how they met their Automatic Enrolment duties within two months of their staging date. After their initial staging date, Employers must do the following on an ongoing basis: · Identify and automatically enrol newly eligible jobholders. There can be a waiting period of up to three months before jobholders are automatically enrolled. Jobholders must be formally told about this waiting period. Importantly, the notice must also explain that the jobholder has the right to opt in to the scheme before the automatic enrolment date · Provide information to jobholders. · Automatically re-enrol eligible jobholders who opted out of the scheme on the third anniversary of the employer’s staging date, regardless of whether or not they wish to be re-enrolled · Keep records (for a minimum of six years) about jobholders, workers and about the pension scheme, demonstrating how they have complied with the duties under the Act.
The role of the Pensions Regulator The Pensions Regulator will have a new role in ensuring compliance with the Automatic Enrolment regime.
In the first instance, The Pensions Regulator will produce guidance for Employers, many of whom will have no previous experience of pension provision, on how to comply with their new duties. It will also write to Employers twice in the run-up to their staging date, alerting them to the need to take appropriate action in good time.
It will investigate complaints from jobholders, scheme members, and trustees and administrators of pension schemes, making initial telephone or written contact with non-compliant Employers, issuing compliance notices and, where necessary, proceeding to impose fixed and/or escalating penalties
Role of Nest The National Enrolment Savings Trust will be the default scheme where no qualifying alternative exists, particularly for small Employers, who have not had to offer a Pension Scheme before.
(Please Note: If you are an employer and are seeking information and guidance on your responsibilities, we encourage you to contact the Pensions Regulator. Their website includes a number of interactive tools). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
BULLETIN AND JOURNAL >
0845 647 7000
