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Regulatory framework.

The Charter and Agreement require the BBC and the Trust to publish documents explaining the BBC's purposes, setting out its policies and priorities, and describing the remits of its services.

Protocols

The Charter and Agreement require the BBC Trust to adopt and publish protocols. These are documents setting out the detailed framework within which the Trust carries out its functions and how it relates to the Executive Board. There are 28 protocols.

For example, the BBC Trust has a duty under the Charter and Agreement to "carefully and appropriately assess the views of licence fee payers." In order to explain how it will do this, it also has a duty to publish a protocol showing how it will "actively seek the views of and engage with licence fee payers."

BBC Trust and the Executive Board

In addition to describing how the BBC Trust functions, the protocols also describe the relationship between the Trust and the Executive Board and the separate responsibilities of the two bodies.

In accordance with the Charter, the Executive Board has substantial responsibility and accountability for the management of the BBC's key activities. This responsibility will be underpinned by a shared strategic understanding and a framework of policies and codes set by the Trust. As the sovereign body of the BBC, the BBC Trust will retain the ultimate right to intervene to protect the interests of licence fee payers if necessary.

The protocols are grouped in the folllowing categories: accountability; strategy and services; finance, value for money and risk; codes, compliance and standards; and Trust business.