Audit Committee - Terms of Reference
Established: 17.2.93 (amended 17.12.03 and
26.2.08)
Members
Tim Score (Chairman)
Roger Devlin
Sir Andrew Foster
In attendance (by invitation only):
Chief Executive as appropriate
Chief Operating Officer as appropriate
Finance Director as appropriate
Other Non Executive Directors as appropriate
External Auditor (at least once a year) as appropriate
Internal Auditor (as required) as appropriate
The Secretary
Meetings
The Committee shall meet at least three times a year. At least once
a year the Committee shall meet with the external auditors without
any executive board member being present. The external auditors or
internal auditors may request a meeting with the Committee.
The quorum for the Committee shall be two.
Authority
The Committee is authorised by the Board to investigate any
activity within its terms of reference. It is authorised to seek
any information it requires from any employee and all employees are
directed to co-operate with any request made by the Committee.
The Committee is authorised by the Board to obtain outside legal
or other independent professional advice and to secure the
attendance of outsiders with relevant experience and expertise if
it considers this necessary.
Duties
External
audit
- To make recommendations to the board, for it to put to
shareholders for their approval in general meeting, in relation to
the appointment, re-appointment and removal of the external auditor
and to approve the remuneration and terms of the engagement of the
external auditor.
- To review and monitor the external auditor's independence and
objectivity and the effectiveness of the audit process, taking into
consideration relevant UK professional and regulatory
requirements.
- To develop and implement policy on the engagement of the
external auditor to supply non-audit services, taking into account
relevant ethical guidance regarding the provision of non- audit
services by the external audit firm; and to report to the board,
identifying any matters in respect of which it considers that
action or improvement is needed and making recommendations as to
the steps to be taken.
- To discuss with the external auditor before the audit commences
the nature and scope of the audit and to review the auditors'
quality control procedures and steps taken by the auditors to
respond to changes in regulatory and other requirements
- To review findings of the audit with the external auditor
including a discussion on major issues arising from the half year
and final audits, and any matters the auditor may wish to discuss
(in the absence of management where necessary).
- To review the external auditor's management letter and
management’s response.
Financial statements
To review the half-year and annual financial statements, and any
formal announcements relating to the company's performance, before
submission to the Board, focusing particularly on:
- critical accounting policies and practices and any changes to
them
- major judgmental areas
- the extent to which the financial statements are affected by
any unusual transactions in the year and how they are
disclosed
- the clarity of disclosures
- significant adjustments resulting from the audit
- the going concern assumption
- compliance with accounting standards
- compliance with the UKLA's Listing Rules and other legal
requirements
- reviewing the company's statement on internal control systems
prior to endorsement by the board and to review the policies and
process for identifying and assessing business risks and management
of those risks by the company
Internal audit
- To review the internal audit programme, ensure co-ordination
between the internal and external auditors, and ensure that the
internal audit function is adequately resourced and has appropriate
standing within the Group
- To approve the appointment or dismissal of the head of internal
audit or, if applicable, external firm providing internal audit
services
- To consider the major findings of the internal audit
investigations and management's response.
Other matters
- To review the effectiveness of the Company's internal control,
financial reporting, corporate governance and risk management
systems
- To review and approve the statements to be included in the
annual report concerning internal controls and risk management
- To review procedures for detecting fraud
- To review the company's procedures for handling allegations
from whistleblowers and ensure that arrangements are in place for
the proportionate and independent investigation of such matters and
for appropriate follow up action
- To consider other topics, as defined by the Board.
Reporting procedures
The Secretary shall circulate minutes of the meetings to all
members of the Committee and all other Directors.
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Safety and Environment Committee - Terms of Reference
Established: 16.11.99
Members
Miranda Curtis (Chairman)
Jorge Cosmen
John Devaney
Roger Devlin
Sir Andrew Foster
Tim Score
In attendance (as appropriate):
Safety and
Environment Director
Executive Directors
The Secretary
Meetings:
The committee shall meet quarterly
Authority:
The committee is authorised by the Board to seek any information it
requires from any employee of the company in order to perform its
duties.
The Committee is authorised by the Board, when the fulfilmant of
its duties requires, to obtain legal or other professional advice,
to secure the attendance of external advisors at its meetings, if
it considers this necessary at the Company's expense.
Terms of Reference:
- To review Group
safety practices, procedures and record and make recommendations of
changes to the Board as appropriate.
- To review Group environmental practices, procedures and record
and make recommendations to the Board as appropriate.
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Remuneration Committee - Terms of Reference
Established: 17.2.93 (amended 10.03.03, 14.12.05 and
26.2.08)
Members
Roger Devlin (appointed as Chairman 31 May 2008)
Miranda Curtis (appointed 1 June 2008)
Tim Score
Barry Gibson (resigned as Chairman 31 May 2008)
In attendance:
The Secretary
Remuneration consultants (as appropriate)
Meetings:
The Committee shall meet at least twice a year.
The Chief Executive and the Chairman may as appropriate be invited
to attend and speak at meetings of the Committee. However, no
Director shall attend any discussion or participate in any decision
concerning their own remuneration.
The quorum for the Committee shall be two.
Authority
The Committee is authorised by the Board to seek any information it
requires from any employee of the Company in order to perform its
duties.
The Committee is authorised by the Board, when the fulfilment of
its duties requires, to obtain legal or other professional advice
including the advice of independent remuneration consultants, to
secure the attendance of external advisors at its meetings, if it
considers this necessary, and to obtain reliable, up-to-date
information about remuneration in other companies, at the Company's
expense.
Consultants:
New Bridge Street Consultants LLP - advise on all aspects of senior
executive remuneration. They have no other connection with the
Company.
Duties
- Determine and agree with the Board the framework for the
remuneration of the Chief Executive, Executive Directors, the
Chairman, the Company Secretary and other members of the senior
management team as it is designated to consider.
- Adopt as the objective of such policy the recommendation of the
Combined Code on Directors' Remuneration. That is -"to provide a
level of remuneration to attract and retain the directors needed to
run the company successfully, but avoid paying more than is
necessary for this purpose and to structure a proportion of the
remuneration to link rewards to corporate and individual
performance".
- The remuneration of the Non-executive Directors is a matter for
the Board alone.
- Within the terms of the agreed policy, determine the fees for
the Chairman
- Determine the remuneration and conditions of employment of the
Chief Executive and Executive Directors including bonus payments,
pension arrangements and share incentive awards.
- Approve the remuneration and conditions of employment of the
Company Secretary and other members of the senior management team
as it is designated to consider.
- Note the remuneration and conditions of employment of other
senior management and note remuneration trends across the
Group.
- In determining such packages and arrangements, give due regard
to the comments and recommendations of the Combined Code, the UK
Listing Authority's Listing Rules and best practice of interested
investor groups.
- Ensure that contractual terms on termination, and any payments
made, are fair to the individual and the company, that failure is
not rewarded and that the duty to mitigate loss is fully
recognised.
- Be aware of and advise on any major changes in employee benefit
structures throughout the company or group.
- Agree the policy for authorising claims for expenses from the
Chief Executive and Chairman.
- Ensure that provisions regarding disclosure of remuneration,
including pensions, as set out in the Directors' Remuneration
Report Regulations 2002 and the Combined Code, are fulfilled.
- Review and approve the Directors' Remuneration Report in the
annual report and accounts.
- Be exclusively responsible for establishing the selection
criteria, selecting, appointing and setting the terms of reference
for any remuneration consultants who advise the committee.
- Make the committee's terms of reference publicly available.
These should set out the committee's delegated responsibilities and
be reviewed and, where necessary, updated annually.
- Review and approve the design of all share incentive plans for
approval (where appropriate) by shareholders. For any such plans
determine individual awards to be made and performance targets to
be used.
- To approve the grant of awards or options under any of the
Company’s share incentive plans.
- Determine targets for any performance-related pay schemes
operated by the company.
- To consider and decide upon such other matters as the Board may
refer to it.
Reporting procedures:
The Secretary shall circulate the minutes of the meetings to all
members of the Committee and all other Directors
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Nomination Committee - Terms of Reference
Established: 10.03.03 (amended 26.2.08)
Members
Tim Score (appointed as Chairman 9 December 2008)
Sir Andrew Foster (resigned 31 May 2008)
Jorge Cosmen (resigned 31 May 2008)
Barry Gibson (resigned 31 May 2008)
David Ross (resigned as Chairman on 9 December 2008)
In attendance:
The Secretary
Meetings:
The Committee shall meet at least once a year.
The Chief Executive may as appropriate be invited to attend and
speak at meetings of the Committee. However, no Director shall
attend any discussion concerning their own appointment to any
position.
The quorum for the Committee shall be two
Authority:
The Committee is authorised by the Board to seek any information it
requires from any employee of the Company in order to perform its
duties.
The Committee is authorised by the Board, when the fulfilment of
its duties requires, to obtain legal or other professional advice
including the advice of independent recruitment consultants, to
secure the attendance of external advisors at its meetings, if it
considers this necessary at the Company's expense.
Duties:
- To regularly review the structure, size and composition of the
board (including skills, knowledge and experience) and make
recommendations to the board with regard to any changes.
- To identify and nominate for the approval of the board,
candidates to fill board vacancies as and when they arise.
- Before making an appointment, to evaluate the balance of
skills, knowledge and experience on the board and, in the light of
this evaluation, prepare a description of the role and capabilities
required for a particular appointment.
- To review annually the time required from a non-executive
director. Performance evaluation will be used to assess whether the
non-executive director is spending enough time to fulfil their
duties.
- To consider candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and
look beyond the "usual suspects".
- To give full consideration to succession planning in the course
of its work, taking into account the challenges and opportunities
facing the company and what skills and expertise are needed on the
board in the future.
- To keep under review the leadership needs of the organisation,
both executive and non-executive, with a view to ensuring the
continued ability of the organisation to compete effectively in the
marketplace and make recommendations to the board.
- To make a statement in the annual report about its activities;
the process used for appointments and explain if external advice or
open advertising has not been used; the membership of the
committee, number of committee meetings and attendance of members
over the course of the year.
- To make publicly available its terms of reference explaining
clearly its role and the authority delegated to it by the
board.
- To ensure that on appointment to the board, non-executive
directors receive a formal letter of appointment setting out
clearly what is expected of them in terms of time commitment,
committee service and involvement outside board meetings.
- To make recommendations to the board concerning any matters
relating to the continuation in office of any director at any
time.
- To consider and decide upon such other matters as the Board may
refer to it.
Reporting procedures
The Secretary shall circulate the minutes of the meetings to all
members of the Committee and all other Directors.
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