Review function
The Independent Review Office examines whether Commission departments follow the procedures applicable to their work. It may request records, identify departures from an approved process and recommend corrective administrative action. Its independence consists in the authority to determine its findings without instruction from the department under review. The Office does not replace the Assembly in setting policy or the Directorate in carrying out approved programmes.
Appointments and resources
Review members are appointed by the Commission from a list certified by the Office of Institutional Affairs. Appointments continue while the Commission remains satisfied that members can perform their functions in accordance with the common programme. The Commission also approves the annual review budget and the list of matters eligible for formal examination. These arrangements maintain a consistent institutional understanding of the Office's remit and prevent duplication of executive responsibilities.
Scope of conclusions
A finding of procedural compliance establishes that the applicable steps were completed. It does not establish that a policy is beneficial, that its objectives are appropriate or that the applicable steps permit meaningful reconsideration. Submissions concerning those questions are referred to the authority that approved the relevant procedure. Where the submission concerns the approval procedure itself, the Office applies the institutional referral circular and records the matter as transferred.