Day 075 - 17 Jan 95 - Page 34
1 authorities can apply to be associate members and many do;
2 and if over a period of time they demonstrate a commitment
3 to the aims and objectives of the organisation, then the
4 existing Council, in fact, then decides to invite them to
5 become a full member. Once they are a full member, they
6 then have the right to nominate somebody for the Council.
7
8 Q. So anybody, any company, can become an associate member?
9 A. Yes.
10
11 Q. What restrictions do you put on becoming a full member?
12 A. Well, it is more the other way around in the sense that
13 the company has to have demonstrated, or the organisation
14 or the individual has to have demonstrated a committed
15 interest in and concern with and support for the aims and
16 objectives of the Group over a period of time.
17
18 Q. I think you said that Shell were a member; is that right?
19 A. Yes.
20
21 Q. I am doing this off the top of my head, but I believe
22 I recall a few instances when they have been convicted and
23 fined for polluting -- I do not know whether it was the
24 Mersey or somewhere -- you recall that, yes?
25 A. Yes.
26
27 Q. How do you reconcile that with allowing them to become
28 members?
29 A. What we do is to try to establish that the organisation
30 in terms of our objectives is committed and so on, and then
31 the Council may or may not take a view about what they
32 perceive to be its environmental pedigree or performance in
33 other areas. But it is not a matter for me; it is a matter
34 for the Council to decide.
35
36 Q. How is the Council made up? How many people are on the
37 Council?
38 A. 25, 26.
39
40 Q. What is the composition? You said something about Guide
41 and Scout Groups and then about companies?
42 A. Yes. Each member can nominate one of their company to
43 be elected to the Council and then the members at the
44 annual meeting vote, and there is no predictable pattern as
45 to whether -- there is no subdivision of, you know, there
46 have go to be five from voluntary organisations and five
47 from companies or anything like that. It is a straight
48 election. People are nominated, make a statement about
49 their interest in the Group's organisation and what they
50 wish to do with it and, on the basis of that, at the annual
51 meeting, in a fairly typical and normal way, are elected.
52
53 Q. What percentage of the members are companies?
54 A. Sorry?
55
56 Q. What percentage of the members are companies?
57 A. About 20 per cent, I guess.
58
59 Q. So what is the rest composed of? Is that mostly Council
60 bodies?
