Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate that but we have also heard about the complex reasons that might be so, particularly with regard to carers and disability. I note the Comptroller and Auditor General has commented on the oral hearings and written procedures and the level of discretion available in that regard. As I understand it, oral hearings are held essentially at the discretion of the appeals officer. There is no written policy I am aware of as to why they should be called. It is just left up to the appeals officer. That is not the sort of procedure that gives confidence in the independence of a structure to those on the outside. Has the Department carried out any analysis of how and when oral hearings are carried out? Has it done anything since the publication of the Comptroller and Auditor General's analysis?