Report and financial statements
The directors submit their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2000. For the purposes of this report, the expression “Company” means Elementis plc and the expression “Group” means the Company and its subsidiaries.

Issue of redeemable B shares
At the Annual General Meeting held on 28 April 2000, shareholders conferred authority on the Board to issue redeemable B shares. The total nominal value of redeemable B shares issued to shareholders during the year was 5.2 pence per ordinary share. The Board intends to issue further redeemable B shares to ordinary shareholders on the register on 26 April 2001, such that they receive redeemable B shares with a total nominal value of 3.3 pence for each ordinary share held. This will be coupled with an offer to redeem these new shares for cash at their nominal value on 2 May 2001. A further offer will also be made to existing holders of redeemable B shares to redeem these shares for cash at their nominal value on 2 May 2001.

Results and dividend
The Group profit for the year attributable to shareholders amounted to £34.2 million (1999: £20.0 million). No ordinary interim or final dividends have been declared. Holders of redeemable B shares are entitled to a non-cumulative preferential dividend at a rate of 75 per cent of six month sterling LIBOR payable six monthly in arrears; the charge to the profit and loss account in 2000 in respect of these dividends was £0.1 million.

Principal activities, business review and future development
The Chairman’s statement and the Chief Executive’s report contain a review and description of the principal activities of the Group during 2000, references to recent events and likely future developments. Companies throughout the Group undertake, on a continuing basis, research and development of new products and improvement of existing products.

Group turnover and profit is analysed by activity and geographically in the notes to the financial statements.

Donations and contributions
During the year, the Group donated £8,549 for charitable purposes in the United Kingdom.

Political donations
Elementis has no affiliation to any political party or group in any country and makes no political donations.

Directors
The present directors of the Company are Jonathan Fry, Lyndon Cole, George Fairweather, Philip Brown, Michael Hartnall, Rick McNeel and Edward Wilson.

A statement of the directors’ interests in the share capital of the Company is set out in the Board report on remuneration. Robert Easton resigned as a director on 28 April 2000. Mike Parker resigned as a director on 14 July 2000.

Employee communications and involvement
It is Group policy to communicate with all employees on major matters to encourage them to take a wider interest in the affairs of their employing company and the Group. This is done in a variety of ways including in-house newspapers, bulletins and briefing sessions. The Company operates a savings-related share option scheme allowing UK employees an opportunity to become shareholders and introduced a similar scheme for US employees during 2000.

Employment policies
The Group is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment, regardless of a person’s race, creed, colour, nationality, gender, age, marital status or disability. Employment policies are fair, equitable and consistent with the skills and abilities of the employees and the needs of the Group’s businesses.

These policies ensure that everyone is accorded equal opportunity for recruitment, training and promotion. Where an employee becomes disabled whilst employed by a Group company, every effort is made to allow that person to continue in employment.

Creditor days
Since the Company has no trade creditors, the disclosure of creditor days does not apply.

Policy on payment of suppliers
The Group applies a policy of agreeing payment terms with each of its major suppliers and abides by these terms, subject to satisfactory performance by the suppliers.

Substantial shareholders
The Company has been advised of the following notifiable interests in the issued ordinary capital of the Company as at the close of business on 23 February 2001:

		Ordinary shares £million		Percentage of issued ordinary share capital
Franklin Resources, Inc.		56.0		12.9%
Silchester International Investors Limited		53.6		12.4%
Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., Inc.		28.5		6.6%
Fidelity Investment Limited		26.3		6.1%

Auditors
A resolution to re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers as Auditors of the Company will be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting to be held on 26 April 2001.

By order of the Board
Philip Brown
Company Secretary
28 February 2001