More than 800,000 people, almost 100,000 in Scotland, have been claiming incapacity benefits for more than a decade, it was revealed yesterday.

UK Government figures, in response to Conservative parliamentary questions, showed 806,630 claimants across Britain - nearly one-third of all those who claim Incapacity Benefit (IB) and Severe Disablement Allowance - have received their benefits for more than 10 years. The total for all people currently on benefits is 2.65 million.

While the north-west of England, with 131,460 claimants, registered the highest figure for people on benefit for more than 10 years, Scotland was the second highest with 96,540. The region of Britain with the lowest was the east of England with just under 51,000.

Across Britain, the constituency with the highest level of long-term claimants is Easington, in north-east England with 3610, accounting for 42% of all those on benefit in the local area. Within Scotland, the constituency with the highest level is Glasgow south west with 2920, representing 36% of all those on benefit in the area.

Chris Grayling, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: "Sometimes you have to wonder what the point of a Labour government has been. Despite the grandiose promises and the billions of pounds that have been spent, they've delivered virtually no improvement for the most vulnerable in our society. Something really has to change."

In January, the Tories announced plans to help existing IB claimants back to work, which included a reassessment of all IB claimants coupled with individualised back-to-work support for those assessed as able to prepare to return to work.

David Cameron wants to shave £3bn off the £12.5bn benefits budget to help end what party leader regards as the culture of worklessness by using the private and voluntary sectors more in a prime example of what he calls "progressive means for Conservative ends".

In March, Gordon Brown's revamp of IB came under fire when disability campaigners decried the PM's drive to move people off benefit.

The UK Government had intended to make only new claimants of IB undergo a full health check, a Work Capability Assessment, under the Employment and Support Allowance - which replaces IB from this autumn.

However, a move in the Budget, given little attention at the time, means all 2.6 million claimants will have to undergo the test from April 2010.

The government wants to cut the IB claimant number by one million by 2015.