A person is disqualified from being an independent member if they have been a public servant in the last:

A cooling-off period is a critical measure to ensure the independence and impartiality of members transitioning from public service to oversight roles, preventing conflicts of interest.

• 6 months is the correct answer. This specific duration is a common regulatory standard designed to establish a clear separation from previous public service duties, thereby reinforcing the 'independent' status of the member.
• 3 months is incorrect as it might be considered too short to ensure complete detachment and independence from prior public service roles.
• 1 year is incorrect as it could be unnecessarily long, potentially limiting the pool of qualified candidates without significantly enhancing independence beyond the 6-month period.
• 2 years is incorrect for similar reasons as 1 year, being an excessively long disqualification period.