One million still ‘stuck’ on benefits

In his annual report on his social justice strategy, Mr Duncan Smith said there remained an “entrenched culture of worklessness” among claimants.

He said the figures underlined the need for the new universal credit – due to be rolled out nationally from the autumn – which is intended to ensure people are always better off in work.

However Labour said they simply showed the failure of the Government’s “disastrous” economic policies and called urgent action to prevent another generation being “dumped on the scrapheap”.

The report said that of the 2.3 million benefit claimants capable of some work-related activity, around one million had been “stuck” on a working-age benefit for at least three of the past four years.