Advice and information In 1,141 cases, the complaint fell within the AOB's area of authority, but there was no reason to initiate an investigative proceeding. In these cases, the parties involved were supplied with additional information, including legal information. 1,240 cases were beyond the AOB's sphere of authority. In these instances the AOB endeavored to provide information and advice: it contacted the relevant authority and provided a brief outline on how to resolve the situation. In 600 instances, the complaint was withdrawn. 70 ex officio investigative proceedings Under the Austrian constitution, the AOB can initiate investigative proceedings ex officio if it has concrete suspicions regarding maladministration. As in earlier years, the Ombudspersons invoked this right in initiating 70 ex officio investigative proceedings (2009: 72). Investigative Proceedings of the Regional and Local Government Authorities 2010 2009 Vienna 817 816 Lower Austria 575 537 Styria 345 302 Upper Austria 298 313 Salzburg 166 185 Carinthia 166 157 Burgenland 120 148 2,487 2,458 TOTAL 10 Regional and local administration The AOB also monitors regional and local administration in seven of Austria's nine Federal States (Tyrol and Vorarlberg have separate regional Ombudsmen). In 2010 the AOB carried out 2,487 investigative proceedings in matters relating to regional and local administration, i.e. roughly the same number as last year (2009: 2,458). Regional trends Not surprisingly, the most populous states, Vienna, Lower Austria and Styria, top the list in terms of investigative proceedings. There was no uniform discernible trend in the number of complaints. Relative to 2009, numbers increased in Vienna, Lower Austria, Carinthia and Styria, but fell in the other states. Of particular note were the increase in the number of complaints in Styria (+ 14%) and the decrease in Burgenland.