Extract from Minutes of Executive Committee meeting on 24 October 2023

The Executive Committee decided to adopt the following procedure for taking decisions by email:

Email decisions

(a) Any officer may by email to the members of the Executive Committee request a decision by the Executive Committee on any matter within its powers which in his opinion should not await its next meeting, and may specify a reasonable deadline for responses.

(b) If no deadline is specified, it shall be the date falling one week after the decision request has been sent.

(c) The members of the Executive Committee shall vote yes or no on the decision request by emailing the requesting officer and the Secretary (if any) not later than the deadline.

(d) Any response received after the deadline, or which is not yes or no or is qualified or conditional, shall not be counted but may nonetheless be recorded under paragraph (i).

(e) In line with article 13(c) of the Constitution, the President shall not vote except in the event of a tie, when he shall have a casting vote in accordance with paragraph (f).

(f) The Secretary, or in his absence any officer dealing with the decision request, shall notify the President of the tie, and for the avoidance of doubt the President may not exercise his casting vote before being so notified.

[Note. Paragraphs (e) and (f) are effectively superseded by changes to the Constitution adopted on 8 July 2024, which inter alia abolished the former limitation on the President's right to vote.]

(g) A decision shall be made when and if, by or before the deadline, a majority of yes or no votes have been cast in accordance with the foregoing paragraphs, provided that the total number of votes (including any casting vote) is at least equal to the quorum for the Executive Committee.

[Note. By article 14(d) of the Constitution, four shall form a quorum for the Executive Committee.]

(h) A decision complying with the foregoing paragraphs shall be valid and binding as if made at a quorate meeting of the Executive Committee, provided that reasonable efforts were made to communicate the decision request to each member of that body.

(i) The Secretary shall report each decision, including who voted and how, in the agenda and minutes for the next meeting of the Executive Committee.