What is the Expert Review Group?

The Expert Review Group (ERG) is concerned with quality control in the DRS Expert decisions. Each fully reasoned decision will be reviewed by a member of the ERG before it is published. The ERG member will review the draft decision and provide feedback to the expert. However, the expert will remain responsible for the decision and will not be required to make any changes to the draft decision that they do not wish to make.

This helps make sure that decisions are consistent with the DRS Policy and Procedure and previous decisions. The ERG are also responsible for forming the panel which will hear appeal cases.

Why doesn’t Nominet check the decisions?

We are neutral in the DRS and do not take a view on decisions.

We also provide the confidential mediation stage, so we often know things about a dispute that the Experts do not and we may know some of the parties from previous cases - but the decision has to be assessed on the evidence before the Expert who decided it. The Experts are independent,  so it is better if they are self regulating. However, in the rare cases where a complaint is received about an Expert or their decision, then we may raise that with the Chair.

Who is on the Expert Review Group?

There are five members of the Expert Review Group:

Phil Roberts
Claire Milne
David King
Nick Gardner
Ian Lowe

plus the Chair of Experts, Tony Willoughby.