Mr. John McKeon:

At the moment when appeals officers give their summary decisions they generally, say why they made the decision on a summary basis rather than holding an oral hearing. However, that is after the fact as opposed to letting the appellant know they will make a summary decision and why.

Regarding public representatives, as I understand it and Mr. Molloy might confirm this, the appeal must be made in the name of the appellant, but that does not mean a public representative cannot assist in the preparation of the appeal or cannot attend an oral hearing if one is held. That is the mechanism.