Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to finish with one important point. I became concerned when I heard that the volume of oral hearings had diminished. One important statistic has been highlighted relating to the number of decisions overturned at oral hearings versus the number of decisions overturned at summary hearings. This is no surprise. When a person comes to an oral hearing he or she is able to give the full case and present information personally. The idea that so many cases are being judged on a summary basis should give us pause for thought, especially given that they are so critical to people's future and resources.