{ "format" : "linked-data-api", "version" : "0.2", "result" : {"_about" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answer.dateOfAnswer=2016-05-09&tablingMemberConstituency=Birkenhead&answeringDeptSortName=Work+and+Pensions", "definition" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/meta/answeredquestions.text?answer.dateOfAnswer=2016-05-09&tablingMemberConstituency=Birkenhead&answeringDeptSortName=Work+and+Pensions", "extendedMetadataVersion" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answer.dateOfAnswer=2016-05-09&tablingMemberConstituency=Birkenhead&answeringDeptSortName=Work+and+Pensions&_metadata=all", "first" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?_page=0&answer.dateOfAnswer=2016-05-09&tablingMemberConstituency=Birkenhead&answeringDeptSortName=Work+and+Pensions", "hasPart" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answer.dateOfAnswer=2016-05-09&tablingMemberConstituency=Birkenhead&answeringDeptSortName=Work+and+Pensions", "isPartOf" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answer.dateOfAnswer=2016-05-09&tablingMemberConstituency=Birkenhead&answeringDeptSortName=Work+and+Pensions", "items" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/517250", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/517250/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "

Around 55% of all cancelled appointments are customer instigated cancellations.<\/p>

<\/p>

On 1 March 2015, a new provider took over the Work Capability Assessment contract in which the Department had set a far higher target for face-to-face assessments than that for the previous contract holder. In order to achieve its target the new provider increased the number of assessments undertaken by 29% over that undertaken in the previous year. This led to more people being seen more quickly but with a subsequent rise in the number of cancellations.<\/p>

<\/p>

Cancelled/Re-arranged Work Capability Assessments in the last five years are shown in the table below:<\/p>

<\/p>

Period<\/p><\/td>

Number of Cancelled Appointments<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

1 May 2011 to 30 Apr 2012<\/p><\/td>

377,122<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

1 May 2012 to 30 Apr 2013<\/p><\/td>

509,653<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

1 May 2013 to 30 Apr 2014<\/p><\/td>

398,133<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

1 May 2014 to 30 Apr 2015<\/p><\/td>

333,990<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

1 May 2015 to 30 Apr 2016<\/p><\/td>

505,950<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

<\/p>

(Source: Centre for Health Disability Assessments)<\/p>

<\/p>

Information on the shortest, average and longest period of time before appointments are re-arranged is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4066", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Priti Patel"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Witham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Priti Patel"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-05-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-05-09T16:35:11.093Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-05-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Work Capability Assessment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work capability assessments have been cancelled or rearranged in each of the last five years; and what the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest period of time was before such an appointment was rearranged.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/478", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birkenhead"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Frank Field"} ], "uin" : "36280"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 1, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }