Thousands 'wrongly denied benefits'

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Charities including the Disability Alliance and Mind say people face months of hardship while trying to get their benefits back, while many more are incapable of appealing.

The groups told the BBC the current system of assessing claimants was not working, meaning tens of thousands were missing out.

More than 2.6 million people claim incapacity benefit and it was revealed last month that more than 800,000 claimants - nearly a third of all those who claim - have received the allowance for more than a decade.

In February the Government unveiled plans for a huge shake-up of the benefits system, with a report arguing that the true number of people in need of incapacity benefit was closer to 700,000.

The BBC reports that of the 100,000 people who fail the Personal Capacity Assessment (PCA) each year 25,000 successfully appeal against a decision to deny them incapacity benefit. While they appeal, their benefit is cut by up to £30 a week.

Paul Treloar, from the Disability Alliance, told the broadcaster: "People report to us that the examinations can often feel rushed, they don't feel like they're being properly listened to. And we have had numerous examples where the medical reports contain statements that don't actually reflect the person's home circumstances."

The Department for Work and Pensions told the BBC it is developing a new medical assessment which will be much better at identifying the needs of people with mental health problems, and should reduce the number of wrong decisions.

Official figures say nine out of 10 of those who come on to incapacity benefit want to come back to work. Many complain of conditions such as back and neck pain, depression or heart and circulatory problems, which the Government believes do not make long-term unemployment inevitable.

The Government is set to introduce a new medical test for incapacity benefit claimants in October this year. It will assess what an individual can - rather than cannot - do.