Internet Watch Foundation

1. a) Review of Board members entitlement to claim an attendance allowance of £200 per day or part of a day for attendance at IWF meetings;

     b)  To inform Board members of the position with regard to attendance allowances and our application for charitable status.

 

2. At the Board meeting on July 18 2002, Board unanimously approved the following recommendation:

·         Board members are entitled to claim an attendance allowance and any actual travelling expenses in respect of attendance at meetings of the Board or sub-groups of the Board.

·         The attendance allowance will be £200 for each day or part day. This rate will only be varied by an express decision of the Board.

 

3. At their meeting on 27 April 2004, Board unanimously supported the proposal that IWF make an application for charitable status. 

 

4.  A Board member has asked that a review be carried out of the level of attendance allowance paid by IWF.

 

5. As part of the recommendations to the Board meeting on 18 July 2002, a comparison was carried out of the daily attendance allowances paid to members of public panels and committees.  84 examples were gathered and the average attendance allowance was £200 per day. 

 

6. As part of the preparations for the briefing note to Executive Committee, a similar smaller sample was gathered from recent public appointments to panels and committees and these indicated an average of around £222 per day.

 

7. If the IWF application for charitable status is successful, IWF be governed by a Board of Trustees who are usually unpaid and can only make a claim for “out of pocket” expenses.  Trustees cannot make a claim for loss of earnings without explicit authority.  Explicit authority must come from the Charity Commission and be part of either, the approved Memorandum and Articles of Association or as subsequent separate written request based on the merits of each case.

 

8. We are advised that the Commission will not accept a provision that enables the payment of all Trustees but may accept a proposal within the Memorandum and Articles which allows for an attendance allowance payment for up to three Trustees.

 

9.  The Commission is likely to seek justification for this provision which can be based upon the specialist skills and understanding required on the Board with regard to the Internet and paedophilia.    

10. Executive Committee recommends to Board that:

a) the attendance allowance should be increased to £220;

b) a clause be included within the Memorandum and Articles of Association which enables IWF to pay up to three Trustees an attendance allowance.