21 January 2008
An amendment has been received to Grace 2 of 5 December 2007 (Reporter, p. 360) which provided for the approval of the recommendations of the Council's Report, dated 22 October 2007 (p. 109, amended by the Council, p. 347), to be approved. This principally provided for an increase from two to four in the external members of the Council. The text of the amendment is reproduced in a Notice dated 14 December 2007 (p. 391). The effect of the amendment, if carried, would be to make detailed statutory provision for the periods of service of the four members, and to require transitional provisions for the appointment to be made by Grace. The Council does not object to the substance of the amendment, but a technical correction needs to be made to the proposed amendment to Statute A, IV, 4(c) so that it reads as follows:
(c) Members of the Council in class (e) shall be appointed to serve for four years from 1 January in a year when the calendar year is odd; the appointment of half the members in this class shall take place in each alternate year.
Exercising its powers under Regulation 9(d) for Graces of the Regent House (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 110) the Council proposes this further, correcting, amendment. The Vice-Chancellor has determined under Regulation 11(b) for Graces of the Regent House that this corrected amendment should be submitted to the Regent House for voting, in place of the version originally submitted.
Voting papers will be issued as soon as possible. They will provide for voting on:
(a) approval of the proposal contained in the Council's Report, as amended by the Council in its Notice of 3 December 2007 and submitted for approval in Grace 2 of 5 December 2007;
(b) rejection of that proposal;
(c) approval of the received amendment as corrected through the Council's additional amendment.
The Council recommends positive votes in respect of (a) and (c) and negative in respect of (b).
A Grace initiated by members of the Regent House about the nomination procedure for members of the Council in class (e) (external members) has also been received. For the text see the Registrary's notice (p. 433). If approved this Grace would replace the present Nominating Committee as constituted by Ordinance (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 117) by a differently constituted Committee. The Council believes that it would be appropriate to submit the initiated Grace to the Regent House for voting and therefore does so and itself calls a ballot. The Council recommends that the Grace is rejected.
A formal Notice about voting follows.
Grace 2 of 5 December 2007
In accordance with Regulations 8 and 9 of the regulations for Graces of the Regent House (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 110), a vote will be taken on Grace 2 of 5 December 2007 and the proposed amendment to this Grace by postal ballot. The Vice-Chancellor has determined under Regulation 11(c) that a vote should be taken on the unamended Grace followed by a vote on the amendment proposed.
Grace for submission to the Regent House under the provisions of Statute A, VIII, 7 (Grace 1 of 23 January 2008)
In accordance with Regulation 7 of the regulations for Graces of the Regent House (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 109), a vote will be taken on this Grace by postal ballot.
The ballots will take place concurrently. In connection with the ballots the Registrary will arrange for the printing and circulation of any fly-sheet, signed by ten or more members of the Regent House, which reaches him by 1 p.m. on Thursday, 14 February. Fly-sheets must bear, in addition to the signatures, the names and initials (in block capitals) of the signatories (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 114). Voting papers and fly-sheets will be distributed to all members of the Regent House on or before Thursday, 28 February; the last day for the return of voting papers will be Tuesday, 11 March.