DIFFERENT
TYPES OF
INTEREST
5. There are a number of different types of interests
and the following is intended only as a guide.
A personal interest involves payment to the member
personally. The main examples are:—
Consultancies: any consultancy, directorship, position
in or work for the chemical industry, which attracts regular or
occasional payments in cash or kind.
Fee-Paid Work: any work commissioned by the chemical industry
for which the member is paid in cash or kind.
Shareholdings: any shareholding in or other beneficial interest
in shares of the chemical industry. This does not include shareholdings
through unit trusts or similar arrangements where the member has
no financial management.
A non-personal interest involves payment which benefits
a department for which a member is responsible, but is not received
by the member personally. The main examples are:—
Fellowships: the holding of a fellowship endowed by the chemical
industry.
Support by industry: any payment, other support or sponsorship
by the chemical industry which does not convey any pecuniary or
material benefit to a member personally but which does benefit
their position or department, for example:—
(i) a grant from a company for the running of a unit
or department for which a member is responsible;
(ii) a grant or fellowship or other payment to sponsor a post
or a member of staff in the unit for which a member is responsible.
This does not include financial assistance for students;
(iii) the commissioning of research or other work by, or advice
from, staff who work in a unit for which the member is responsible.
Trusteeship: where a member is a trustee of a charity with
investments in a chemcial industry, the Secretariat can agree
with the member a general declaration to cover this interest rather
than draw up a detailed portfolio.
6. Members are under no obligation to seek out knowledge
of work done for or on behalf of the chemcial industry within
departments for which they are responsible if they would not normally
expect to be informed.
7. Members should inform the Department in writing when
they are appointed of their current personal and non-personal
interests. Only the name of the company and the nature of
the interest is required; the amount of any salary, fee, shareholding,
grant etc need not be disclosed to the Department. An interest
is current if the member has an on-going financial involvement
with the chemical industry, eg if he or she holds shares in a
chemical industry, has a consultancy contract, or if the member
or the department for which he or she is responsible is in the
process of carrying out work for the chemical industry. Members
are asked to inform the Department at any time of any change in
their personal intersts, and will be invited to complete
a declaration form once a year. It would be sufficient if changes
in non-personal interests are reported in the annual declaration
form following the change. (Non-personal interest involving less
than £1,000 from a particular company in the previous year
need not be declared to the Department.)
8. Members are required to declare relevant interests
at Committee meetings, and to state whether they are personal
or non-personal interests and whether they are specific to the
product under consideration or non-specific.
(a) A member must declare a personal specific interest
if he or she has at any time worked on the product under
consideration and has personally received payment for that work,
in any form, from the chemical industry. If the interest is no
longer current, the member may declare it as a lapsed personal
specific interest. The member may then only take part in the
proceedings at the Chairman's discretion.
(b) A member must declare a personal non-specific interest
if he or she has a current personal interest in the company concerned
which does not relate specifically to the product under discussion.
The member may then only take part in the proceedings at the Chairman's
discretion.
(c) A member must declare a non-personal specific interest
if he or she is aware that the department for which he or she
is responsible has at any time worked on the product but the member
has not personally received payment in any form from the industry
for the work done. The member may then take part in the proceedings
unless the Chairman should decide otherwise.
(d) A member must declare a non-personal non-specific
interest if he or she is aware that the department for which
he or she is responsible is currently receiving payment
from the company concerned which does not relate specifically
to the product under discussion. The member may then take part
in the proceedings unless the Chairman should decide otherwise.
9. If a member is aware that a product under consideration
is or may become a competitor of a product manufactured, sold
or supplied by a company in which the member has a current
personal interest, he or she should declare the interest in
the company marketing the rival product.
10. A member who is in any doubt during a meeting as
to whether he or she has an interest which should be declared,
or whether to take part in the proceedings, should ask the Chairman
for guidance. The Chairman has the power to determine whether
or not a member with an interest shall take part in the proceedings.
11. If the Chairman should declare an interest of any
kind he or she should stand down from the chair for that item
and the meeting should be conducted by the Deputy Chairman.
RECORD OF
INTERESTS
12. A record is kept in the Department of names of members
who have declared interests to the Department on appointment,
as the interest first arises or through the annual declaration,
and the nature of the interest.
13. It is the responsibility of individual members to
declare all relevant interests. The Secretariat does not check
whether members have done so. However, members can seek advice
from the Secretariat if they have any doubts as to whether or
not an interest should be declared.
