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Second Report of the Council on the regulations for the Local Examinations Syndicate

The COUNCIL beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. In November 1998 the Council submitted a Grace to the Regent House (Grace 3 of 18 November) proposing an amendment of the regulations for the Local Examinations Syndicate. The purpose of this proposal, which arose from the Council's earlier Report, dated 13 October 1997, on the regulations for the Syndicate (Reporter, 1997-98, p. 50), was to extend the Syndicate's power to make donations. The Grace read:

That the regulations for the Local Examinations Syndicate be amended as follows:

Regulation 11.

By amending sub-paragraph (f) so as to read:

(f) to make donations from time to time, subject to the approval of Council, to the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, the Cambridge Overseas Trust, and other trusts established by the University to raise funds for the support of students from overseas studying in the University;

2. On 27 November eleven members of the Regent House submitted a proposal for the amendment of the Grace (see the Vice-Chancellor's Notice, Reporter, 1998-99, p. 203) so as to require that any such donations made by the Syndicate should be conditional on the audited accounts of the trusts being made available on request to members of the Regent House, and should be notified to the University.

3. The Council have considered the proposed amendment. They note that the audited accounts of the trusts in question are, under charity law, required to be made available on request to any member of the public. Copies of the accounts are therefore already available to any member of the Regent House, and may be obtained either from the Registrary or on direct application to the Treasurer of the trust concerned; there is thus no need for the provision contained in the proposed amendment.

4. The proposed amendment, if approved, would incorporate in the regulations for the Syndicate a requirement laid on a third party; the Council agree with the Syndicate that this is in principle undesirable. Rather than authorize the submission of the proposed amendment to the University, the Council have therefore agreed to meet the concerns of the proposers by giving an undertaking to the University that, if the Grace is approved in its unamended form, the Council will publish by Notice any donations made by the Syndicate to the trusts. On this basis the Council, acting under Statute A, VIII, 9(a)(ii), have agreed not to authorize submission of the proposed amendment of the Grace to the Regent House, and they invite the Regent House to approve that decision.

5. The Council accordingly recommend:

I. That approval be given to the Council's decision not to submit to the Regent House the amendment of Grace 3 of 18 November 1998 which was published in Reporter, p. 203.

II. That Grace 3 of 18 November 1998 be approved.

26 April 1999

ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-Chancellor JOHN A. LEAKE MARK RHINARD
A. J. BADGER HOLLY LINKLATER M. SCHOFIELD
DAVID HARRISON A. M. LONSDALE R. B. L. SCOTT
B. A. HEPPLE M. D. MACLEOD DAVID M. THOMPSON
DONALD LAMING ONORA O'NEILL R. E. THORNTON
MELISSA LANE

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Cambridge University Reporter, 28 April 1999
Copyright © 1999 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.