Corporate Governance Report  | continued recommendations from Board members in relation  to areas where improvements can be made.  Consideration of the Senior Independent Director’s  report is a formal agenda item at a scheduled  Board meeting each year.  Led by the Senior Independent Director, the  non-executive Directors meet at least annually in  the absence of the Chairman to review his  performance. During 2012, the Board evaluation process was  facilitated by a UK-based service provider, ICSA  Board Evaluation (‘ICSA’), which has an extensive  record in facilitating Board evaluations in large  listed companies both in Ireland and the UK. While  ICSA is part of an organisation which also supplies  software solutions to the Group, the  Nomination  and Corporate Governance Committee , which  oversaw the external evaluation selection process,  was satisfied that the annual value of the relevant  contracts was not material to either CRH or ICSA.  The overall outcome of the assessment was very  positive, with the Board’s performance being rated  as “very good” on a six point scale, ranging from  poor to excellent, as illustrated below. ICSA presented the outcome of the evaluation  process to the Board and made eight  recommendations to further improve the  effectiveness of the Board. The recommendations  related to the following: A timetable for the implementation of the  recommendations has been agreed by the Board. All Directors retire at each Annual General Meeting  and, unless they are stepping down from the Board,  submit themselves to shareholders for re-election.  Re-appointment is not automatic. Directors who are  seeking re-election are subject to a satisfactory  performance appraisal. All Directors are subject to  the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the  Company (a summary of provisions in the  Memorandum and Articles of Association relating to  the Directors is set out on page 53). 42 CRH What was the outcome of the external Board  evaluation carried out in 2012? What are the requirements regarding Directors’  retirement and re-election? – enhancing the existing processes in place  regarding strategy reviews, outcome tracking,  Board renewal and Director development;  – providing for an increased number of non-executive  Director meetings without executives present; – taking fuller advantage of the opportunities  afforded by Board visits for employee  engagement; – rationalising Board documentation and updating  Board protocols to take account of advances in  technology and communications. 0-20  Poor 21-40  Below average 41-55  Fair 56-70  Good 71-90  Very good 91-100  Excellent Outcome of 2012 External Board Evaluation Induction Programme Board Members Topic Sessions with Group strategy and finance: Group strategy, the current challenges facing the Group and the trading  backdrop  Financial reporting, trading results, acquisition models, funding sources/ debt maturity, group treasury and credit rating metrics Chief Executive, Chief  Operating Officer, Finance  Director, Head of Group  Finance, Group Treasurer Divisional strategy and structure: Divisional strategy and organisational structure Development priorities  IT strategy Chief Executive, Heads of  Divisions Senior management team: Succession planning Leadership development programmes Remuneration trends Chief Executive, Group Human Resources  Director Directors’ legal duties and responsibilities: Legal duties and responsibilities Management of inside information Dealings in CRH securities Listing rule requirements Finance Director,  Company Secretary and  the Group’s legal advisors Compliance and ethics, health and safety, investor relations and risk management: Compliance and ethics policies and the structures in place to ensure  ongoing compliance  Health and safety, including the fatality elimination programme, and the  Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility policies  Investor Relations programme and the views of the Group’s major investors CRH risk register, insurance arrangements and captive insurance  programme  Finance Director, Head of  Compliance and Ethics,  Head of Investor  Relations, Group  Sustainability Manager,  Group Strategic Financial  Risk Manager Audit Committee External Audit Audit planning  Auditors’ responsibilities Finance Director, Head of  Internal Audit and External  auditors Internal Audit Strategy and workplan  IT audit