The Council shall in accordance with any such scheme elect one of its members to be chairman of the Council.

This paragraph does not apply during the initial period referred to in paragraph 3.

During the initial period the Council shall consist of a chairman and not more than ten other members appointed by the F4Secretary of State.

In this paragraph “the initial period” means the period beginning with the establishment of the Council and ending immediately before the date fixed by the first scheme under paragraph 4 for the coming into office of the first persons elected or nominated as members of the Council in accordance with the scheme.

The term of office of the chairman appointed under sub-paragraph (1) shall expire immediately before the date fixed by that scheme for the coming into office of the first chairman elected under paragraph 2(2), and the term of office of the other members appointed under sub-paragraph (1) shall expire at the end of the initial period.

A scheme under this paragraph shall not come into force until it has been approved by the F5Secretary of State; and the first scheme under this paragraph shall be submitted to the F5Secretary of State for approval before the end of the period of two years beginning with the establishment of the Council.

The F5Secretary of State may approve a scheme under this paragraph either as submitted to him or subject to such modifications as he thinks fit; but where the F5Secretary of State proposes to approve a scheme subject to modifications he shall notify the modifications to the Council and consider any observations of the Council on them.

A scheme under this paragraph may be varied or revoked by any subsequent such scheme.

The Council shall have power to appoint such officers and servants as it may determine.

The Council shall pay to its officers and servants such remuneration as it may determine.

The Council shall, as regards any officers or servants in whose case it may determine to do so, pay to or in respect of them such pensions, allowances or gratuities, or provide and maintain for them such schemes (whether contributory or not) for the payment to or in respect of them of such pensions, allowances or gratuities, as it may determine.

The powers of the Council and of any of its committees may be exercised notwithstanding any vacancy, and no proceedings of the Council or of any of its committees shall be invalidated by any defect in the election or nomination of a member.

The Council may make standing orders for regulating the proceedings (including quorum) of the Council and of any of its committees other than the Discipline and Appeals Committee established under section 25.

The expenses incurred by the Council in the discharge of its functions shall be defrayed out of sums received by it in respect of fees and out of any sums received by it by virtue of sub-paragraph (2).

The F6Secretary of State may make grants to the Council towards meeting the expenses incurred, or to be incurred, by it in the discharge of its functions.

Any sums required by the F6Secretary of State for making grants under sub-paragraph (2) shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament.

The Council shall keep proper accounts of all sums received or paid by it and proper records in relation to those accounts.

The Council shall appoint auditors to the Council, each of whom shall be F2eligible for appointment as a F3statutory auditor under Part 42 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Council shall cause their accounts to be audited annually by the auditors to the Council; and, as soon as is practicable after the accounts for any period have been audited, the Council shall cause them to be published and shall send a copy of them to the F7Secretary of State together with a copy of any report of the auditors thereon.