The arrangements for the publication of agendas, minutes and non-confidential papers are set out in the governance instruments of most institutions. Increasingly there is an expectation that papers and agendas should be available on the web sites, and this may form part of an institution’s publication scheme under the Freedom of Information Act. The outcomes of governing body meetings may also be briefly summarised for staff and students.
Click here for more information about the status of papers and confidentiality
In practice, what can be treated as confidential has now been significantly changed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Data Protection Act 1998 (and, for institutions in 
Scotland, the different provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002). In many cases, the presumption should be that the information must be released unless a specific exemption can be applied. It follows that although some matters may be regarded as 'confidential', the intention should be that, as far as possible, governors’ business is open to scrutiny.