;

The Woolf's At The Door - Accident Reporting and Legal Liability Claims

Camping Fees & VAT - Ruling Reversed

St George's Day Parades - Marching Orders from the Police

Holiday Homes - Good Cause

Project 810 - Epping Forest Conservation

Gilwell Reunion - "Back to the Future"

Data Protection Acts 1984 & 1998 - Update

Baden-Powell Limited Edition - Royal Doulton Jug

Band Festival - Exciting New Venue

Gone Fishing - Angler Badge

Calling Cub Scouts - Crafts at Legoland

International Matters - Russian Study Visit

Friends Of Scouting UK - Success Story

National Lottery Charities Board - Main Grants Programme

National Lottery Charities Board - Small Grants Programme

Talking Points Circulation - Why Do I Get 12?

£50 Start Up Grants - Scout Foundation

Jamboree on the Air - 42 Years of JOTA

Seasonal Staff Sought - Northumberland Beckons

SCOUTING Magazine - Sticker Patrol

.....and finally

Committee News

Election of Youth Representatives:

Co-Location:

Headquarters Strategic Development Plan:

Gilwell Park Camp Site:

2007:

District/County/Area Commissioner responsibilities:

Membership of the District/County/Area Scout Council:

Field Commissioner Review:

Headquarters Finances and Funding:

National Volunteer Structures:

Annual General Meeting and Council in Conference 1999:

Criminal Records Bureau:

Major portions of Lord Woolf's civil justice reforms come into effect in April 1999. The reforms aim to speed up the process of civil claims for damages, with any claim under £15,000 being allocated to a "fast track" system. This has major implications for the Association. One impact is that the Association will have only 21 days from receipt of the initial solicitor's letter to determine whether the Association will defend a legal liability claim against a Leader or whether it will admit liability and settle. The Association will no longer be able to ask for time to investigate the claim.

Scout Insurance Services in Lancing is preparing a new Accident Report form. This will require a very detailed report and signed witness statements. It is designed to ensure that the Association has sufficient information to decide on any potential liability. Inevitably this will impose an additional administrative burden on Leaders. The consequences, if we fail to comply, are severe penalties (including imprisonment). It is therefore imperative that Leaders reporting accidents promptly and fully. See POR Rule 45.1.

HM Customs & Excise has now written to state that the ruling from their Grimsby Office (Talking Points 56 January 1999) was a case of "crossed-wires". The YMCA Tribunal decision which gave rise to that ruling was superseded by the 1994 VAT Act which became effective on 1 August 1994. The law relating to youth clubs is set out in more detail in VAT Notice 701/35. Because of the payment of subscriptions from Groups to Districts to Counties to The Scout Association and finally to World Headquarters in Geneva, the Scout Movement is an association of youth clubs. (Scout Groups etc., also meet the three conditions which qualify them as youth clubs.) Scout Groups etc. are also educational charities and the provision by them of education or training is exempt.

Our own VAT Inspector has confirmed that the advice in Talking Points No. 53 (June 1998) about camp fees is in line with the current law.

Scout Insurance Services has recently been made aware that Police Forces across the United Kingdom are seeking to discourage parades on the public highway.

In a recent letter, Hampshire Constabulary has stated "It is the policy of all Chief Constables to discourage events taking place on public roads, where participants are likely to be in conflict with other road users. It is the duty of the Police Service to prevent accidents, and therefore we cannot support any event where participants place themselves in a situation of unnecessary danger. If any accident or injury should result, we would feel obliged to make known what advice had been given to you at the outset."

Districts planning routes for this years parades should be prepared to discuss options with their local Police and to act upon advice given. The implications of ignoring Police advice could be very serious were an accident to occur.

Districts thinking about donating all or part of any St George's Day collection to an appropriate charity might like to consider the Scout Holiday Homes Trust who celebrate their 30th Anniversary in 1999. Further details are available from the Trust at Baden-Powell House (Tel 0171 590 5152). The Trusts redesigned web pages are also available through ScoutBase (http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/hq-info/holhomes/index.htm).

Scouts over 13 years of age, Venture Scouts and Ranger Guides are invited to take part in the 11th annual conservation project in Epping Forest sponsored by the Corporation of the City of London and Epping Forest Centenary Trust. This years project is 22-29 August and will cost £30 including all meals, camp fees, day trip and T-shirt. Priority will be given to Members of the Movements working for the residential section of the Gold D. of E. Awards and other Scouting and Guiding Badges. Application Forms from: Mrs. Pauline Dawson, Greenview, Snodland Close, Downe, Kent BR6 7HW.

The 73rd Gilwell Reunion will take place over the weekend 3-5 September 1999. Cost £19.50. The theme is "Back to the Future", focusing on the fact that while it is nice to look back at past successes, it is time to clearly focus on our future. Regular attenders and newcomers alike are urged to put the date in the their diary and plan to be with like-minded Leaders over the weekend. Watch out for more information in the Headquarters Circulation, SCOUTING Magazine, ScoutBase or contact the Reunion Office at Gilwell Park.

On the Saturday a large number of bases run - either information giving, commercial or activities for Leaders to try. This year we are aiming to have more bases than ever before and thus lay down this challenge. Have you often spent the Saturday of Reunion looking at the bases there thinking "I could do that"? If you would like more information about running a base, please contact Lindsay Gilbert at Gilwell Park. We look forward to hearing from you!

A number of questions have been asked in relation to data protection issues. The Government has announced that it hopes to bring the Data Protection Act 1998 into force in the second quarter of 1999. The Act received Royal Assent on 16 July 1998 following which two consultation papers were issued on the regulations that will enable the Act to be implemented. Meanwhile users of automated personal data must continue to comply with the 1984 Act. When the new Act comes into force, computerised processing operations already underway by 23 October 1998 will be subject to the transitional regime which will end on 23 October 2001.

New processing operations, which will include processing of data held on paper files - begun on or after 24 October 1998 - will become subject to the new regime but only when the new Act comes into force.

Once the new regulations are to hand later this year Headquarters will issue advice on the impact of the new Act on holding membership data. We believe there will be certain exemptions under the 1998 Act for unincorporated members clubs (Scouting). Until then the existing exemption under the 1984 Act for unincorporated members clubs processing data using computers applies.

There is also an exemption from registration if the data stored on computer is only kept in order to circulate information. A fact sheet about the 1984 Act is available from the Resource Centre at Gilwell Park.

The Scout Association has licensed Royal Doulton PLC and Travers Stanley Collections to produce 2,500 individually numbered character jugs of the Founder, Lord Baden-Powell. The jug, which measures 4.25 inches high is in full colour showing B-P in Scout uniform, wearing his distinctive woggle, Silver Wolf and Gilwell Scarf.

The strictly limited and certificated edition of these numbered jugs are offered in the first instance to Members of The Scout Association and full details of the jug will appear in the April/May edition of SCOUTING Magazine. The jug is available from April '99 at a total cost of £64.75 (for p&p add £3 if outside the UK). In the meantime, to avoid disappointment or to receive further details, please contact The Travers Stanley Groups Ltd, PO Box 3739, Manningtree, Essex CO11 2PA.

Further information available in the Trading section of ScoutBase UK

The 1999 National Scout Band Festival will be held at a specially created outdoor arena at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham on 20 June, 1999.

Details of the Rules, application forms and tickets are available from The Activities Section, Gilwell Park.

The Scout Office at Gilwell Park has available, through the sponsorship of the Environment Agency, a large supply of The Scout Angler Proficiency Badge Resource booklets.

If your District, County or campsite could use a box of 350 copies, please send a cheque for just £5.50, to cover postage, (payable to The Scout Association). Don't forget to include a convenient delivery address, and we will send a box to you with the minimum of delay.

By way of supporting Scouting, LEGOLAND Windsor, are kindly sponsoring the Cub Scout Craftsman badge for a period of three years. The official launch of this sponsorship will take place at the Park in Windsor on the 13 March, 1999. From that date, LEGOLAND will be offering hands on practical support to assist Cub Scouts towards achieving their Craftsman badges. Groups of 20 or more may come to the Park at a discounted rate and book to complete section 7 of the badge. For further details, please call LEGOLAND on 01753 626100 - remember to mention The Cub Scout Craftsman badge when you call.

Plans are being put together for a further study visit to Russia from 2-17 October 1999. The tour will include St Petersburg, Moscow and at least one other provincial location. This visit will be an ideal way of establish contacts with Russian Scouts, while appreciating something of the diversity of Russian life and culture. Contact Paul Hanson on 01203 415 161 for further details.

Since the launch of it's recent fund-raising initiative, over 100 Friends have been recruited by Leaders and Commissioners. This has resulted in approximately £1,500 being donated to 50 different Groups, Districts and Counties. If you would like to know how Friends of Scouting can help your section, please write to Friends of Scouting UK, at Baden-Powell House or call us on 0171 590 5166.

The current themes are Community Involvement and Poverty & Disadvantage. An application pack covering both is available by phoning 0345 91 91 91. The Board run a continuous grant making process and there are no closing dates for the request or submission of application forms. The two themes are expected to run concurrently for a couple of years. The minimum grant is £500 and more than half the grants given to date have been under £50,000. The Charities Board no longer require applicants to obtain a permission letter from Headquarters but it is highly recommended that a copy of your application be sent to the experienced Lottery Team at BP House prior to submission for help and advice where appropriate.

Further information can be obtained by sending an A5 S.A.E. to the Finance & Marketing Department at BP House. For help and advice please contact the Scout Association Lottery Line on 0171 590 5123.

This programme will cease to exist in its present form from 31 March 1999 and current application forms will not be valid after this date. It will be replaced from 1 April 1999 with the Awards for All programme which covers small grants from all Lottery Boards i.e. National Lottery Charities Board, Arts Council, Sports Council, Heritage Fund and Millennium Commission. The programme offers grants of £500 to £5,000. It has no specific criteria to apply under but projects will be expected to have a Millennial theme until the end of this year. It is a continuous grant making process so there are no deadlines to meet and applications are welcomed all year round.

Application forms for Awards for All can be obtained by phoning 0845 600 2040 after 1 April 1999.

A frequently asked question about Talking Points is "Who gets it?" The main circulation is handled by a Mailing House who use labels produced from the National Database at in the Records Office at Lancing. The labels are created from Census information supplied by Groups/Areas/Counties and Districts. If your copy of Talking Points comes in a clear plastic wrapper and the label is incorrect then the Records Office at Lancing need to be advised. This advice is best given through your County/Area or District Secretary because if you have changed address, it might be quite useful if they know as well!!

Single copies are mailed to:

• County Chairmen
• County Treasurers
• County Administrators
• County Commissioners
• Acting County Commissioners
• Deputy County Commissioners
• County Organising Commissioners
• Assistant County Commissioners
• County Advisors (who are recorded on the system)
• District Commissioners
• Acting District Commissioners
• District Scout Fellowship Chairmen
• Group Scout Leader OR Group Contact, only when there is no GSL

Twelve copies are mailed to the following people so that they can be circulated to members of County or District teams not covered by the above.

• County Secretary/Acting County Secretary
• District Secretary/Acting District Secretary

If you are in Scotland, distribution is done via Scottish Headquarters. If you receive your Talking Points in a plain brown envelope then you are on the mailing list of Editors or Public Relations Officers maintained by the Public Relations Department at Baden-Powell House. Any changes should be notified directly to them.

The Scout Foundation has agreed a request from the Community Development sub-Committee that £50 grants (in Scout Shops Ltd vouchers) are available to Groups opening new Sections. The grants will be issued on a first come first served basis and there is up to £5,000 to award - supporting 100 new Sections.

Groups do not need matched funding to apply. They need to complete the forms already circulated to District/County/Area Commissioners and of course open the new Section.

A month after the anticipated start date listed on the form each successful bid needs to send produce a short report of what they did with the money and the numbers of new young people and adults involved. If Groups or Districts would like to talk through an application before applying, please contact the Community Development Department at Baden-Powell House.

This year, "Jamboree on the Air" (JOTA) runs over the weekend of 16/17 October. To take part, a special event amateur radio transmitting licence is required. Please ask your local radio amateurs to apply for the licence from the Radio Society of Great Britain. For further information, please send an A5 stamped, self-addressed envelope to The United Kingdom JOTA Team, Gilwell Park.

Seasonal staff to assist with the general running of Hawkhirst Adventure Camp and courses are required. Applications from holders of BCU and RYA Awards are welcomed. Details from Derek Langford. Tel: 01434 250217.

The April 1999 edition of SCOUTING Magazine features a car window sticker which will need to be displayed the length and breadth of the U.K. Why? The Sticker Patrol will be out and about, looking to spot stickers in car or minibus windows. Registrations will be taken down and published monthly in SCOUTING Magazine. By sending proof of ownership for that vehicle you can claim a superb prize. So when your Magazine arrives, get sticking - it's in your best interests!

ScoutBase, The Scout Association's official website has now become one of the largest of its kind on the Internet. Prior to the Opening ceremony the average number of pages viewed per day in the Jamboree Section of ScoutBase was around 300. On January 1 the figure rose to 6,000 and on 4 January a staggering 9,650 pages were requested, roughly one page every two seconds.

The Committee of the Council met at Gilwell Park on 13 February, 1999.

The process to elect three youth representatives to the Council was agreed. This will now be put - by post - to the Council of the Association. If agreed and subject to final approval of amendments to Bye Laws by the Privy Council, the election process will be used for the first time in September 1999.

The decision on how to fund the co-location project was deferred until April 1999 to allow time to update the financial model only just received from external consultants. The Finance sub-Committee will consider the matter in March. The appointment of AYH as Project Managers was noted.

A copy of the letter dated 12 February 1999 from the Chairman of the P&T sub-Committee to County and Area Commissioners with information about workshops and conferences being organised by HQ over the next year was tabled.

The Committee noted that there were currently 20 frozen Headquarters staff posts. Headquarters continues stringent control on its expenditure, and will be rigorous in budgeting for 1999/2000.

The Committee will receive a progress report on redevelopment proposals in April 1999 and will discuss the matter in detail at its June 1999 meeting.

The implementation of the decision to establish Scouting 2007 Limited has been deferred while detailed technical matters such as share capital are resolved. The Committee received a progress report on the search for a Company Chairman.

It was agreed to amend POR Rules 23.1[a] and 27.1[a] concerning the responsibilities of DCs/CCs/ACs to include an encouragement to form District/County/Area Patrol Leaders Councils.

It was agreed to amend POR Rules 9a[i] and 12a[i] concerning the membership of District/County/Area Scout Councils to include Chairmen of Patrol Leaders' Councils as members of the District Scout Council and Patrol Leaders nominated annually by each District Patrol Leaders Councils as members of the County/Area Scout Council.

The Committee considered at length the recommendation that following the Local Support Services report there should be an increase in the number of Field Commissioners. The Committee adopted the principles as contained in the report before it but could not see a way of implementing them at this time due to the additional costs. However if funding became available for some or all of the posts then the proposals could be moved forward.

The extended debate on the Field Commissioner Service led the Committee to agree that:

1. the Chairman, Treasurer and Chief Executive would carry out a baseline review of all HQ services and costs and report to the Committee of the Council.
2. the Senior Management Team will continue to manage frozen staff posts.
3. the County Commissioners, at their conference in May 1999, will be informed of the situation in detail and engaged in the debate.
4. the Committee left open the possibility that it may review the funding of services through membership subscriptions.

It was agreed to disband the Programme and Training and the Community Development sub-Committees and establish a Programme and Development sub-Committee with effect from September 1999. The Finance sub-Committee will remain but other functions will be reviewed at the June 1999 meeting to agree if one or more other sub-Committee are required. It was agreed that a National Commissioner for Development should be appointed and that the Scout Fellowship should become an integral part of Adult Support. The National Chairman of the Scout Fellowship will report to the National Commissioner for Adult Support and in future will be appointed using the normal search procedures.

To be held in B-P House, London on 25 September 1999.

The main topic for the Council in Conference to be the launch of the Programme Review Group consultation with the Movement.

The Committee received a paper on the Government's intention to establish a Criminal Records Bureau in England and Wales and noted the possible implications for the Association. County/Area Commissioners will be sent a briefing paper.