Telephone Mandatory Consideration

Hi again Gina1,
To clarify my comments about an appeal panel or tribunal panel - same thing, sometimes called one, sometimes called the other.
It is a service provided by the courts and tribunals service so you will see their letter head etc on letters which you receive. The hearing will be in a building which is run by them as a court, and potentially there will be more formal trials and hearings happening in the same building as when you are there. But that is about as bad as it gets!
The building you go to will depend on where you live. The one I generally go to is a rather boring looking office type building. There are court security officials at the door who will want to check your bags and you habve to walk through a metal detector. Nothing you will probably have not experienced somewhere else. You are told which area to go and wait in. There will be a court employee there who is there to make sure that everything runs smoothly - which includes helping you and answering any questions you may have. They are also the only person who can give you a claim form to claim your travel expenses.
When it is time to go into the room where the panel are waiting they take you in and introduce you.
At the court I generally go to the panel are sitting at the front in a row at a slightly elevated desk, and the court official shows us to a table where we can sit.
Nobody is wearing a wig and nobody is wearing a gown. If clients ask me how they should dress I advise them to wear what they would for a funeral since it it a formal hearing. But you will not be judged on what you wear provided it covers everything which needs to be covered.
There is no jury, occasionally there is a representative from the DWP, but in that room they carry no more status than you do in that room.
If you do not have an advisor with you, you are welcome to take a relative or a friend so you are not alone.
The panel is made up of a judge (a fairly junior one), a GP and a disability expert. The judge is the chair and leads the hearing. The hearing is recorded, and if you need to, you can get a copy of that recording.
They will start off by introducing everyone and checking that you don't have any questions and check that you are the person they are expecting and confirm with you what you are appealing.
They then take it in turns to ask you questions - generally the judge first (very few questions), then the GP and finally the disability expert. You will be given as much time as you need to answer their questions.
At the end the judge may have a few extra questions to ask, and they will give the person who is supporting you the opportunity to speak. They are not expecting a 'closing statement' as you might see on the television, but it is there opportunity to pick up on something you might have missed or possibly given an ambigious answer to. They are not generally invited to give evidence, but can ask you a question in court and you can answer it in court - for example - Gina could you give the panal an account of getting reading to come here today, including how long it took you.
If you need a short break or a drink of water they will facilitate that. Their role is to ensure the right outcome, and that includes giving you every opportunity to present your case.