Governance committee to review Council convention on circulation of
correspondence
The Council’s Governance Committee is to review a convention under which correspondence influencing proposals that go before the Council is summarised in the Council papers but is not normally circulated to all Council members.
The issue was raised by Graham Phillips at the September
Council meeting after the President had referred to e-mail correspondence between the
Office and the lead adviser to the Privy Council on the Society’s
draft new Charter.
Mr Phillips said that he had asked for a copy of the correspondence but
had been told that it was not custom and practice to make such information
available. That was not acceptable in a Society moving towards openness
and transparency.
The Secretary and Registrar said that no organisation normally circulated
detailed correspondence on a wide basis. Council members would disappear
under a cascade of paper. In this case, there was one comment from the
Privy Council advisers confirming its advice. It was not a matter to
be negotiated. It was a matter of governance as well. It was normal governance
in organisations.
The President said that he saw no problem with the Governance Committee
having a look at it.
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Pharmaceutical Journal