Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 309

Appointment of assessors

Section 309 gives the Chief Appeals Officer the power to appoint assessors to sit alongside appeals officers when hearing questions that require additional expertise.

• The Chief Appeals Officer may appoint any suitable person as an assessor to assist an appeals officer with a particular question.
• Assessors are brought in when a question is considered to need specialist assistance beyond the appeals officer alone.
• The Chief Appeals Officer may set up panels of assessors, organised by district or on any other basis considered appropriate.
• Members are selected from these panels at the Chief Appeals Officer's discretion when a question arises that would benefit from assessor input.