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One of the features of this Conference is that the personnel never remain static. This year we again have many new delegates in our midst. In an ideal world they would all have been fully briefed but, even if that were true in all cases, it is just not possible to convey the cut and thrust of our meetings, nor is it possible to cover all the points we have considered over the years. So we must be patient when we are asked a question we think was settled long ago, and we must try to be explicit when we outline our next steps. Please do not hesitate to raise queries and do not be put off if you hear a loud groan from those who have been here before. It is part of healthy development to ask again those questions that all the rest of us may think of as yesterday's problem.
After another year of hard work we have arrived at the next critical point in our development. As you can see from the large number of sheets in your Conference papers, we have a lot of material to think about and a number of important decisions to make. Let me say now that apart from the Section criteria, none of our decisions this weekend will be binding for more than one year. Our job, as usual at these conferences, is to point the way forward and to offer our member organisations a set of specific proposals for them to consider.
The various sub-committees of Council have worked throughout the year and have reported back at each Council meeting. The working papers that you have in front of you now are the fruits of these endeavours. Each year the sub-committees retire and are appointed as required at the first meeting of the new Council early in the new year. This way we can allow for the fact that the membership of the Council changes from year to year and it also allows the new Council to start from a position of democratic strength in relation to its sub-committees, thus enabling Council members to keep control of what is done in their name and on your behalf.
This year we must take a series of vot