"But the area where top companies are falling short is on board diversity. Female and ethnic minority non-executives are still few and far between."The report revealed that in the FTSE 100, only 12 per cent of non-execs are female, while in the FTSE 250 just 6.3 per cent are women.In addition to rising fee levels, the report highlighted a change in the calculation of non-exec remuneration. An increasing number of companies now pay a fixed annual fee, with additional amounts awarded for extra duties.Many non-execs are also remunerated in shares. However, non-exec directors in the FTSE 250 earn about 28 per cent less than FTSE 100 directors, with salaries averaging about £30,000.The range of non-exec director salaries in the UK has also grown, with the lowest paid earning just £5,000 and the highest paid earning £95,000.IDS said the findings showed that companies were recognising the increasing responsibilities of non-exec directors, which have arisen in the aftermath of Sir Derek Higgs' report into corporate governance published two years ago."Our findings show that companies are taking account of the Higgs report," Steve Tatton, the editor of the IDS report, said. Mr Shipside said the trend made a sudden price crash less likely..

The pay packets of UK non- executive directors have swelled by an average of 21 per cent over the past 18 months, according to a report published today, with non-executive chairmen taking home even bigger rises of about 25 per cent. The research, compiled by the information group Incomes Data Services, says the average FTSE 100 non-executive chairman commands a salary of about £250,000 a year, while the average FTSE 100 non-executive director is paid about £42,000. The non-exec chairmen of FTSE 250 companies earn less than half as much as those within FTSE 100 companies - taking home an average of £117,500. is a vital step along the road to an orderly recovery of the property market, particularly if combined with an interest-rate cut."The housing market has slowed dramatically since annual growth peaked at 20 per cent a year ago, as the five rises in interest rates since November 2003 have pushed up mortgage costs.Rightmove said the slowdown was exacerbated by sellers refusing to negotiate on price. The figure was based on almost 125,000 homes, or almost half of properties on the market between 11 June and 9 July. The steepest fall was in Wales, where asking prices fell more than 6 per cent after a runaway price boom over the past two years.

Prices fell in the Midlands, West Country, Yorkshire, East Anglia and the North. Prices of houses in London bucked the trend, recording a rise of 1 per cent despite a fall of 0.1 per cent in the week of the 7 July terrorist attacks on the capital.Rightmove said the annual rate of house-price inflation fell to a 10-year low of 0.2 per cent, from 2.4 per cent in May. Miles Shipside, its commercial director, said the figures werea sign that vendors had finally realised they had to lower their prices to attract buyers."Sellers are realising they have to compromise some degree of their gains to sell their properties," he said "This ... He said the company had managed to get enough staff in on Friday to open all its venues although business was quieter in the days after the attack.