Cap. 582 Art. 10Proceeding of the meeting of the Authority.

(1) The Board of the Authority shall meet as often as necessary, but in no case not less than twice a month. The meetings of the Board shall be called by the Chairperson either on his own initiative or at the request of any two of the other members. Without prejudice to the other requirements of this Act, no decision of the Board shall be valid which is not supported by a majority of the members of the Board present at the meeting.

(2) Half the number of the members for the time being constituting the Board shall form a quorum at any meeting of the Board. Decisions shall be adopted by a simple majority of the votes of the members present and voting. The Chairperson, or other member presiding at the meeting, shall have an initial vote and, in the event of an equality of votes, a casting vote.

(3) In the absence of the Chairperson at any meeting of the Board, the deputy chairperson, or other person appointed to act as chairperson as nominated in terms of article 9(3), or, if no other member or person has been designated or appointed as such, a member of the Board chosen for that purpose by the other members present, shall preside at that meeting of the Board.

(4) Subject to the provisions of sub-article (1), no act or proceeding of the Board shall be invalidated merely by reason of any vacancy among the members.

(5) A member of the Board who is in any way directly, or indirectly, interested in a decision made, or proposed to be made, by the Authority shall, as soon as possible, after the relevant circumstances have come to his knowledge, disclose the nature of his interest at the first meeting of the Board after the relevant facts have come to his or her knowledge.

(6) Any disclosure made under sub-article (5) shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting at which it is made, and the member making any such disclosure -

(a) shall, after the disclosure, withdraw from the meeting at which that decision is proposed to be made; and

(b) shall, if the decision has been made, be disregarded for the purpose of constituting a quorum for any such decision.

(7) Minutes of the proceedings of the Board and of any committee thereof shall be kept. For this purpose and for the keeping of the relevant records, the Minister shall designate a person to act as secretary to the Board for such period and on such terms as the Minister may deem appropriate. The secretary to the Board shall not have a vote.

(8) Subject to the provisions of this Act, or to any regulation made thereunder, the Board may regulate its own procedure.

(9) In the exercise of its functions under this Act, the Board may consult with such professionals, or such other persons having relevant knowledge and experience in the field of social welfare services, as it may deem appropriate. For such purpose, the Board may invite such professionals or other persons to attend meetings of the Board and to provide such information and documentation as it may deem appropriate.

(10) The members of the Board, the secretary to such Board, and any person involved in the proceedings of the Board, shall be bound by confidentiality and shall not disclose to any third party any information which may come to their knowledge during the proceedings.

(11) The Board shall keep a true and correct record of all its proceedings and the Board shall give to the Minister such information as he may require.

(12) The Board shall lay on the Table of the House of Representatives the annual report of the workings of the Social Care Standards Authority, by not later than four months after the end of each financial year.