KS
I notice that your forum name may be your real name, instructions to change it are in the following FAQ
My full name is showing, how can I stop it? With regard your question.
Yes, someone can attend in place of the claimant, however, the Tribunal panel, ideally will want to hear the claimants own views on how their condition(s) effect them on a day to day basis, so they may not be best served by doing this. There is also a possibility that the panel may adjourn the hearing in order for the claimant to attend, so if they choose to go down this route they should notify the Tribunal Service in advance.
As an alternative, they can request a domicilary hearing, where the the panel come to their home, but these are very, very rare.
Unfortunately, this is the Catch-22 that claimants with agoraphobia and social anxiety face.
Gordon
