Act No. 13, 2003 (b) MEDICINES AND RELATED SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT, 2003 must convene a special meeting of the Council, if the Minister requests, or if at least three members of the Council request, him or her, in writing, to do so. (4) The chairperson must convene a meeting requested in terms of subsection (3)(b) within 14 days after the date of receipt of the request and at such time and place as he or she may determine. (5) The chairperson, or in his or her absence, the vice-chairperson, or in the absence of both the chairperson and the vice-chairperson, a member of the Council elected by the members present, must preside at a meeting of the Council. (6) Notwithstanding subsection (8), a majority of the members of the Council constitutes a quorum at a meeting of the Council. (7) A decision of a majority of the members of the Council present at a meeting of the Council is the decision of the Council and, in the event of an equality of votes, the person presiding has a casting vote in addition to his or her deliberative vote. (8) Subject to subsection (6), a decision of the Council is not rendered invalid by reason only of a vacancy on the Council or of the fact that a person who is not entitled to sit as a member of the Council did so sit when the decision was taken, if that decision was taken by the requisite majority of the members who were present at the time and entitled to vote. (9) The chairperson must cause a record to be kept of the proceedings of every meeting of the Council and must cause that record to be submitted to the Minister as soon as is practicable after a meeting of the Council. Disclosure of interest 9. (1) A member of the Council or of a committee must, within a period of three months from the date of his or her appointment as a member of the Council or of a committee, declare in writing to the Minister or to the Council, as the case may be, his or her commercial interests related to the pharmaceutical or health care industry, which interests include, but are not limited to, any consultancy for, research grants from, or equity holding or directorship in, a pharmaceutical company, or any other payment or benefit in kind. (2) If a member of the Council or of a committee, or his or her spouse, is in any way directly or indirectly interested in a matter, which is the subject of consideration by the Council or a committee and which may cause a conflict of interests in the performance of his or her duties as a member of the Council or as a member of any such committee, he or she must fully disclose the nature of that interest as soon as is practicable after the commencement of the meeting of the Council or of any such committee at which that matter is a subject of consideration and that member of the Council or of any such committee, may not take part in the consideration of, or vote on, a question relating to that matter. (3) If a member of the Council or of a committee fails to disclose a conflict of interests as required by subsection (2) and is present at a meeting of the Council or of any such committee, or in any way participates in the consideration of, or votes on, a question relating to the matter referred to in that subsection, the proceedings in relation to that matter must, as soon as the non-disclosure is discovered, be rendered invalid and thereafter be reviewed by the Council or any such committee, as the case may be, in the absence of the member of the Council or the member of any such committee.