A government is not bound to accept the advice of any royal commission. In practice, royal commissions have sometimes been established to deal with issues that a government feels may be too controversial to be seen tackling itself. For example, in recent years various politicians have campaigned for a royal commission to examine the issue of the decriminalisation of cannabis. But some royal commissions have also been seen as ways of side-lining issues. The size of a royal commission, its chairperson, membership and remit are set by the government.
Most commissions take evidence, deliberate and then produce a final report.
The government usually outlines at the time of its establishment when it expects a royal commission to produce its final conclusions. The average duration from establishment to report is between two and four years. But certain royal commissions can have a semi-permanent existence. For example, the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts was first set up in 1869 with the task of advising and assisting in the preservation of historical manuscripts and to publish them. It is still in existence today.