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MPs have warned that "rushed or inadequate" medical assessments are still causing many mistakes to be made on benefit decisions.

Appeals against incapacity and disability benefit decisions are successful in more than 40 per cent of cases, a House of Commons public accounts committee report has found.

"The fact that these are not isolated cases is illustrated by the level of appeals, which for incapacity and disability benefits decisions has not changed significantly since 2001," the report says.


Between March 2001 and September 2002 the number of appeals lodged against incapacity and disability benefit decisions was more than 35,000 a quarter.

The Department for Work and Pensions said it was too early for recent developments in doctor recruitment and performance monitoring to have had an impact.

An evidence-based medicine system will be rolled out in June 2004 and claims forms are be revised to make it clearer what medical evidence is needed.

- Report from www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/pachome.htm