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Policy and guidance on the publication of papers relating to formal University committees

See also Committee Papers Publication Schedule

  1. Policy overview and aims

The policy sets out the established process for the publication of all papers relating to formal University Committees ['Committee Papers']. While providing guidance to those responsible for the management of such papers, the policy also guarantees a consistent and rigorous approach across the University, and is designed to ensure Committee Papers are available for access as part of the University's approach to its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

  1. Policy coverage and definition of committee papers

The policy covers Committee Papers produced from 1 October 2004 onwards.

For the purposes of this policy, Committee Papers are defined as all papers relating to the work of any University Committee included in the accompanying Committee Papers Publication Schedule. Committee Papers include the agenda, minutes and all papers considered by the Committee as part of its work.

  1. Responsibility for the management of committee papers

The Committee Secretary or his/her nominee is responsible for the management, retention, and publication of Committee Papers.

  1. Retention period for committee Papers

A hard copy of all Committee Papers is retained permanently.

  1. Hard copies

The hard copy of the Committee Papers is the formal record of the Committee's activities. Electronic versions are published online to enable wider access and to ensure more efficient distribution, but they do not form part of the formal permanent record the Committee's work.

  1. Online Publication of Committee Papers

Due to the nature of their terms of reference, certain Committees are exempt from the requirement to publish papers online. Such exemptions are set out in the accompanying Committee Papers Publication Schedule. For those Committees that are not exempt, the Committee Secretary is responsible for the online publication of Committee Papers on the designated area of the University website, as follows:

  1. The Agenda Sheet:

The agenda sheet for each Committee meeting is published online as a requirement of this policy. It is for each Committee to decide whether all or any of the agenda papers are published online. Ahead of each Committee meeting, once the agenda is approved by the Committee Chair or relevant University Officer and distributed formally to the Committee Members with the accompanying papers, the agenda sheet is submitted to the website in accordance with the established technical procedures set out in paragraph 7 below.

  1. Minutes:

The minutes for each Committee meeting are published online as a requirement of this policy. Following each Committee meeting, the Committee Secretary is responsible for producing the minutes. Once approved by the Committee Chair or relevant University Officer, the minutes are distributed to Committee members or those on the approved distribution list. The minutes are then published online in accordance with the established technical procedures set out in paragraph 7 below and annotated as “unapproved minutes”. They remain unapproved minutes until they have been considered, corrected and/or approved by the next meeting of the same Committee. Once the Committee amends and/or agrees the minutes, the minutes are published online again, annotated as “approved minutes”. The unapproved minutes become obsolete, are removed from the website, and are destroyed in accordance with the University's policy on the management and retention of draft papers1.

  1. Reports to Parent Committees:

Certain University Committees included in the Committee Papers Publication Schedule are responsible for reporting decisions or relevant information to parents committees. In most cases, the parent committees are either Council or Senate. In accordance with the Committee Papers Publication Schedule, these Committees are required to publish online the formal reports that are sent to their parent committee. The reports are published online in conjunction with the minutes of the meetings to which they relate.

  1. Technical Procedures for Online Publication

Technical guidance on the publication of papers online is provided by the Web Support Unit. Ongoing support is available from the Records Management Office.

  1. Information restricted from online publication

There are two types of information likely to be restricted from online publication:

  1. Reserved Business:

The expression “reserved business” is an internal University term to cover items to be discussed when students or student committee members are not present. In the vast majority of cases, reserved business constitutes “private” personal data (see below) so is likely to be covered both by the requirements of the Data Protection Act and exempt under the FOIA2.

  1. Confidential Business:

It would be inappropriate to publish online details relating to the discussion of certain confidential business. An example of this would be the discussion of commercially sensitive information.

Information contained in Committee Papers is only published online if it forms part of unreserved business or is not considered confidential. Reserved or confidential business is never published online, although it is acceptable for papers to indicate where such business exists but has been redacted3. When publishing papers online, it is the responsibility of the Committee Secretary to publish an edited version in accordance with the Guide to Committee Documentation, to ensure restricted information is not made available. The permanent hard copy is where reserved and confidential business is recorded formally and permanently4.

It is for the Committee and/or Committee Chair or relevant University Officer to determine whether a matter is considered confidential or not. Reserved business is governed by the University's Statutes.

  1. Disclosure of Personal Data contained within Committee Papers

The University is committed to the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and is legally obliged under both the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts to comply with the data protection principles.

All Committee Papers contain personal data both about members of the University and individuals from outside the University. Identifying an individual as a member of a Committee, for example, is considered under the terms of the Data Protection Act to be processing personal data.

The central question for Committee Secretaries when deciding whether to publish personal data online is whether the information relates to the private or public life of the individual involved. Information about the home or family life of an individual, such as home address, his or her personal finances, or that relating to personal references or internal disciplinary matters, is not published electronically or as part of unreserved business. By contrast, information relating to an individual's official or work capacity is normally included unless there is some risk to the individual concerned. This includes the name of the individual, their grade, position or job function, or decisions they have made in their official capacities.

The Committee Secretary is advised to contact the University Records Manager for guidance as appropriate.

  1. Access to information contained within Committee Papers

The University is committed to the principles of the FOIA. Online publication of Committee Papers is part of the University's approach to promote a culture of openness in relation to its decision-making processes. Committee Papers published online are available free of charge. Similarly, hard copies of Committee Papers are generally available free of charge, subject to provisions of the University's FOIA Fees and Charging Policy,5  and to application of the FOIA exemption categories.

In accordance with the FOIA, certain information is not exempt from disclosure under the Act even it forms part of reserved business, is considered confidential, or is not published online. Only information that falls within one or more of the FOIA's exemption categories is exempt from disclosure to any applicant requesting access.

This policy does not and cannot offer exact definitions of what precise information contained within Committee Papers is or is not available under the FOIA. As a guide, information that is likely to be exempt includes:

  • Information that may damage the University's commercial interests;
     
  • Personal information relating to an individual's private or home life;
     
  • Information that may endanger an individual's health and safety;
     
  • Information provided to the University in confidence by an external individual or organisation;
     
  • Information intended for future publication; or
     
  • Information accessible by other means.

Further details relating to information exempt from disclosure under the FOIA is available on this site.

There are five categories of information contained within Committee Papers:

  1. Information published and available freely on the University Committee website;
  2. Information defined as “reserved business”, which is not published online, but which may be available upon request to an applicant exercising his/her rights under the FOIA;
  3. Information defined as “reserved business”, which is not published online and would not be available upon request to an applicant exercising his/her rights under the FOIA;
  4. Information that does not form part of reserved business, but which is considered by an individual Committee to be confidential and not published online, but may still be disclosed under the FOIA;
  5. Information that does not form part of reserved business, but which is considered by an individual Committee to be confidential, is not published online, and cannot be disclosed under the FOIA.

The Committee Secretary is not responsible for making decisions in relation to requests for access to information contained within Committee Papers. Unless a request is made by a member of University staff for information that enables him/her to carry out his/her duties, it is standard practice for the University Records Manager to be consulted and to decide on an appropriate response to the request, including how any relevant FOIA exemptions may be applied. Following receipt of a request for information, the Committee Secretary is advised to contact the Records Manager immediately to ensure that a response to the request can be made within the statutory twenty working days.

  1. Policy Review

In accordance with the University's standard records management practice, this policy is reviewed every three years to ensure it meets effectively the University's operational requirements and legal obligations.

Policy agreed: Summer 2005
Policy effective from: December 2005
Policy due for renewal: December 2008

1It is acceptable at this point to annotate the master hard copy by hand with any changes to indicate to those viewing the minutes in future how they came to be changed.  

2In most cases, Section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act provides an exemption for personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998.

3“Redact” is an all-encompassing term, often used in an FOIA context, which signifies editing, revising or preparing information for publication.

4Please note that if information recorded as part of reserved business or considered by a Committee to be confidential falls outside the exemption categories contained within the Freedom of Information Act, it would still be accessible to applicants requesting information under the Act.

5The University reserves the right to charge for access to information in accordance with its Fees and Charging Policy.

Further information

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