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<p>(i) The table below contains the information requested up to December 2017, the
latest period for which figures are available.</p><p>Employment and Support Allowance
(ESA)</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of ESA Adjourned <sup>1</sup></p></td><td><p>Adjournments
as a proportion of disposals<sup>2</sup></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1 April 2015 – 31
March 2016</p></td><td><p>9,553</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1 April
2016 – 31 March 2017</p></td><td><p>11,591</p></td><td><p>16%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1
April 2017 – 31 December 2017 <sup>P</sup></p></td><td><p>10,001</p></td><td><p>16%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p><sup>1 </sup>The number of ESA appeals adjourned at a hearing.</p><p><sup>2
</sup>Total number of hearing clearances. Cases cleared at tribunal hearing both oral
and paper</p><p><sup>P </sup>Provisional data, as they will be reconciled when the
annual statistics are published and therefore subject to change. Latest data available
in line with published data.</p><p> </p><p>Although care is taken when processing
and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale
case management system and are the best data available.</p><p> </p><p>(ii) The decision
to adjourn a hearing is a judicial function. There is no prescribed set of criteria
in determining whether to adjourn hearings for ESA (or other types of) appeals. Hearings
can be adjourned for a variety of reasons including to obtain further medical evidence.</p>
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