Name – Naveena Monjoor Satter

ID - 531636

Level 3 – Unit 25 – Produce Minutes of Meetings

1.1 Explain the purpose of different types of minutes and other meeting
records

The purpose of minutes is to provide an official record of the actions and key decisions made at the
meeting. Depending on the type of meeting, the type of document produced can vary.

The purpose of minutes is to produce a record of events from the meeting; actions, key decisions
made and information. There are other documents that need to be produced to ensure a meeting is
run successfully. These documents will usually be;

 Agenda – this outlines the structure of the meeting. Generally, will include introduction,
review of previous meetings minutes, list of items for discussions, actions completed and to
be followed up and any other business (AOB). Agendas are usually sent out to the attendees
prior to the start of the meeting; no less than 24 hours, with the opportunity to allow
attendees to add an item for discussion.
 Previous meetings minutes – for a meeting that occurs on a regular basis, attendees will be
expected to agree the validity and accuracy of the minutes from the previous minutes. This
is to ensure the document is accurate; with more important meetings, this holds as a legal
document.
 Other related documents – if an individual wants to discuss an item, they may choose to
send out additional documents to the attendees to review and familiarise themselves with
the topic of discussion. This can include financial statements, PowerPoint presentation and
project plans etc. Supporting documents will allow an opportunity for attendees to review
and provide feedback at the meeting.

It is important to consider the type of minutes created is appropriate for the meeting. For board
meetings and AGMs, it is compulsory to produce formal minutes. This will act as a record of events
that will be subject to the Data Quality Act.

1.2 Explain the legal requirements of formal minutes

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, some minutes are legally required due to the nature of
the meeting; this is so information can be accessed by the public. This applies to governmental
bodies (both local and central), police authorities, health and education departments etc.

Minutes of a meeting are legal documents that serve as proof for future reference regarding the
actions agreed and discussions that took place. Minutes should contain the date, time and location
of the meeting, the actions and decisions agreed upon as well as the people who were in
attendance.

Under the Data Protection Act, information should not be kept longer than necessary; however how
long minutes are stored depends on the organisation and the type of meeting. For example, official
records will be kept for many years or even permanently, whereas small departmental meeting
minutes may only be kept for a few months.

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Name – Naveena Monjoor Satter
ID - 531636

1.3 Describe organisational conventions for producing minutes

Organisational conventions are put in place in order to ensure structure, fairness and responsibility
in a meeting. These procedures are in place to ensure there’s a structure that can be followed in line
to company policy.

The type of meeting will determine the kind of minutes produced. For formal meeting i.e. Cost
Improvement Programme board, formal minutes are expected. These minutes should include;
preparation of an agenda, distribution of minutes and other necessary documents. This will be held
as a true record of what was conducted and agreed at the meeting in line with the Data Protection
Act.

Informal meetings such as team/departmental meetings will not require a comprehensive set of
minutes. Here they will usually produce an action list and points that have been agreed upon in the
meeting e.g. Christmas leave can be requested from August.

1.4 Describe the responsibilities of the minute taker in a meeting

The minute taker will be someone who provides overall administrative support for the meeting but
does not actively participate in the meeting; they therefore act as a source of neutrality. However,
the note taker should have an understanding of the purpose of the meeting as well as an agenda and
the previous meeting minutes.

Before the meeting, the minute taker will confirm attendance and ensure the meeting is quorum;
this is important as decisions cannot be fairly made if the meeting isn’t quorum. Confirm
documentation that needs to be distributed to attendees and distribute in a timely manner to allow
attendees to familiarise themselves before the meeting.

During the meeting, the minute taker will be expected to record attendance, actions identified and
due date to complete them, outcomes of actions identified in previous meetings and points agreed
by the group.

After the meeting, the minute taker will clarify any discussion points and actions identified in the
meeting before producing the minutes. Minutes should be produced in a timely manner and
reviewed by the chair before being circulated to the attendees to review and highlight any
amendments to be made.

The minutes will be brought back to the members of the meeting to agree unanimously that this
document is a true record of events.

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Name – Naveena Monjoor Satter
ID - 531636

1.5 Explain why it is important to maintain confidentially of meetings,

discussions and actions

Minutes are taken back to the group to agree that this is a true record of events; once this has been
agreed, the document can be used as legal evidence and therefore requires a certain level of
confidentiality.

The remit of the meeting will determine what is discussed; project work, organisations
finance/budget meeting, operational efficiency of the business etc. Minutes should be kept
confidential and undisclosed unless requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

1.6 Explain why it is necessary to record who proposed and seconded

suggestions and changes
A proposer at a meeting is someone who suggests something or puts forward an idea (motion); a
seconder is someone who agrees with the proposer. This will usually than initiate a discussion of the
motion.

The proposer and seconder of actions and motions in a meeting are recorded to serve as a reminder
for those who were not in attendance. It is not always necessary to record who seconded each
motion or the number of votes it received.

The main purpose of minutes is to record whether a motion has been passed or not.