"There have been continuing problems with the work capability assessment which has used a tick box-style assessment to assess people's fitness for work, " he said.

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The committee was being briefed by Social Development Department (DSD) officials on the latest report into the capability assessment system carried out by Prof Malcolm Harrington.

BBC: Social Development Committee

Department official Tony Murphy explained how the work capability assessment process was a "wide ranging" test consisting of 10 physical and seven mental, cognitive and intellectual descriptors.

BBC: Social Development Committee

One of the key objectives of the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) is to help countries improve their self-assessment capability by building on existing strengths and experiences.

UNESCO: World Water Assessment Program (WWAP)

Another flaw was that the initial assessment of the armed groups underestimated their capability as what a senior French diplomat called a "well armed, equipped, trained and determined" force, which apparently tried to hold ground in terrain usually defined by skirmishes and ambushes.

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"Although more information is needed to make a sound assessment, this test could, as North Korea has stated, demonstrate this capability, " they said in a statement.

NPR: NKorean Nuclear Test May Be Intelligence Windfall