Independent statusN.I.
Independence and opennessN.I.
3—(1) The Panel shall not, in the exercise of its functions, be subject to the direction or control of—
(a)the Assembly; or
(b)the Commission.
(2) A Panel member is not a member of the staff of the Assembly.
(3) The Panel shall—
(a)act in such a manner that its decisions and its reasons for those decisions are readily ascertainable;
(b)publish such information as will enable the public to be kept informed about its activities.
(4) Subsection (3) does not prevent the Panel from—
(a)considering a matter in private,
(b)maintaining the privacy of its consideration of that matter, or
(c)refraining from publishing material relating to that matter,
if, in the opinion of the Panel, the nature of that matter makes it appropriate to do so.