From: Maeliosa DeBuitlear <maeliosadebuitlear@yahoo.ie>
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2025 5:22:34 PM
To: Scouting Ireland – Company Secretary <cosec@scouts.ie>
Subject: Special Resolution re. proposed changes to the Constitution
Hi Mary, I am writing to you today to ask if you would bring serious matter concerning business at this weekend’s AGM to the attention of the Board.
Notice of proposed changes to the Constitution
I was contacted this Tuesday (September 9th) by a Scout Group delegate to the coming AGM. They told me that there a sizable amount of change is proposed to the Constitution via a single Special Resolution to this AGM and asked for my views on this matter. They forwarded the meeting notice which appears to have been sent to each Scout Group on Friday August 22nd, 21 days prior to the AGM and just complying with the minimum required notice of meeting specified in the Constitution. They also forwarded a summary document which appears to have been sent to all Delegates on September 9th, 5 days prior to the AGM.
The agenda contained in the meeting notice includes a motion (Special Resolution) to amend the Constitution “according to the changes in the redline copy of the Constitution attached”. So there is a single resolution for consideration with the option to agree all of the proposed amendments or to reject them all.
A volume of detail for consideration by local volunteers in a very short timeframe
The markedup version of the Constitution comprises 40 pages of which approximately 80% contain material changes, while the summary document (titled Summary of proposed amendments) comprises 36 pages. A very considerable volume of detail for consideration in a very short timeframe in order to take a view on a range of proposed amendments to the Constitution.
Room for some confusion
The summary document incorporates incorrect section numbering in places, giving rise to some confusion when comparing it to the markedup version of the Constitution. There are items listed in the summary document which do not appear in the markedup version of the Constitution.
The markedup version of the Constitution contains footnotes which appear to have been written by the person or team who were tasked to work on the document. Many of the footnotes pose questions about specific items which do not appear to be resolved in the text.
The need to navigate this confusion exacerbates the already very demanding task of understanding what is being proposed and making a decision on it.
Some errors and issues
The attached document sets out an analysis of the proposed amendments and identifies 15 discernible areas of change, some being extensive throughout the document and others relating to a single Clause/ Article or to a small grouping of Clauses/Articles.
It sets out some material errors in what is presented for consideration and identifies issues / problems which some of the proposed amendments are likely to cause if implemented.
Conclusion
I submit that, to progress with this Special Resolution at this time is most inadvisable in that:
- Expecting Scout Groups to review what is intended and to develop an informed view on it all in the timeframe allowed is an unreasonable ask for many Scout Groups
- There are material differences between the markedup version of the Constitution attached to the meeting notice and the more recently circulated summary document
- There are errors in some of the proposed amendments
- Some of the proposed amendments are likely to cause issues / problems if adopted, and may lead to unintended consequences bringing about poorer governance outcomes rather than better ones
- Proposing this volume and range of amendment to the Constitution as a single motion poses an unnecessarily complex and difficult decision for Scout Groups
Given all of the above, it seems entirely possible that the Special Resolution will be defeated if put. The optics of this would not be good, “AGM rejects governance improvement amendments to the Constitution…”.
I would suggest that the Board withdraw the Special Resolution prior to its being put to general meeting to provide time to consider and address the matters raised and to consult more widely with the membership re. the reasons for, and thinking behind, proposed changes. This would enable the Board to refine the proposal and bring a set of Special Resolutions to a future general meeting in this regard.
I have sent a copy of this communication to the Scout Group delegate who contacted me for my opinion.
Respectfully,
Maelíosa (Milly) DeBuitéar