The Minister said that the tribunal has the power to give summaries of evidence taken in the absence of the complainant. However, I cannot find such a power in the proposals, although I have looked through them carefully. If such a power exists, it must be in either the rules or the Act. The Act merely gives the Secretary of State power to make rules that would allow that, and he is not doing that. That is the only protection available for complainants, who will be unable to attend hearings at which people about whom they complain give their accounts.
Complainants have no way of finding out what was said unless a summary is available.
I fully understand that a summary would need to be edited so that it did not contain genuinely top secret or prejudicial information, but if no summary is available to give the complainant some idea of what the other person says, it cannot be a proper hearing. The proper interplay and discussion to which my right hon. Members' points individually. I am sympathetic in response to the apology of the hon. The rules do not make provisions for special advocates.