Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his staff for coming in to the committee. Probably everyone in the committee does a good few appeals. I find them pretty quick, in fairness. It can happen to anybody and was not a reflection on the person in the appeal I was involved in.

If an independent appeals officer happens to become sick, which is not his or her fault - I am not taking aim at anyone - there can a missing link in this regard such that no one else can take over the case. Someone, through no fault of his or her own, could be out for a year - anyone can get sick - and a person could be left waiting and waiting. Is there anything the Department can do to cover that part of it? That is all. I attend a lot of oral appeals and, in fairness, they are pretty quick. I could never fault any of them, or even the officials from the Department of Agriculture who are up against you. Everyone always shows up. I find an oral appeal very good. This is one issue I have found, however. It is not a criticism. I saw one instance in which a case took a long time.