Almost 20, 000 people are assessed each week for ESA - including those moving over from the old benefitsystemof Incapacity Benefit (IB) - in England, Wales and Scotland, DWP figures show.
He said the division lay in pressure groups and "sensationalist media reports, " as he attacked a "professional pressure groups who exist for the purpose of defending every line item, either of the entire benefits system or of a particular benefit".