ePolitix.com Stakeholders comment on the introduction, by the Department for Work and Pensions, of a new disability test to replace the existing personal capability assesment.

Party response: Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson Danny Alexander MP said: "This new assessment method is an improvement in some ways, though there are still real worries about whether it properly takes into account the effects of mental health conditions.

"Since Gordon Brown became prime minister, the government has abandoned serious welfare reform and now seems to be returning to the old rhetoric of demonising disabled people.

"After 10 years of this government, it is utterly shameful that there are still 2.7 million people on incapacity benefit when half of those people say they want to work.

"If Labour was serious about helping people back into work, it would have embraced David Freud's reforms. We need a much simpler benefits system and more investment, with support tailored to the needs of individuals.

"Radical change is needed – but this government is clearly incapable of delivering it."

Party response: Conservatives

Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling MP said: "This is at least the fifth time the government have made this announcement, but the reality is that they are completely missing their targets on Incapacity Benefit. At the current rate of progress it will take them 25 years longer than planned to reach their target of getting 1 million off Incapacity Benefit."

Stakeholder response: The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health

To send a comment to The Princes Foundation for Integrated Health click here 

Kim Lavely, chief executive, said: "We welcome the increased attention that the work capability assessment brings to the need to get people on incapacity benefit back to work. However, this is another example where the Department for Work and Pensions is failing to tackle the root of the problem which is to address the epidemic of long-term chronic conditions such as obesity, back pain, stress and depression.  

"Rather than the urgent threats to life posed by the diseases of the past, the major health challenge today is chronic illness and its relentless undermining of quality of life for millions of sufferers and their families. Such conditions account for 80 per cent of GP consultations and the majority of NHS spending, as well as undermining productivity across all sectors.

"The increase in the list of complaints that are used by claimants should serve as a warning that chronic conditions require a concerted and joined up approach across government, employers and the health sector to help people manage their conditions and return to the workforce. Of course there is no magic bullet, but public health education focusing on nutrition, exercise and resources to manage low-level stress, depression and anxiety must be at the heart of the fightback against chronic illness.

"Poor health of this type is a direct consequence of our lifestyles and how we interact with our environments. The state of our health reflects the food we eat, the exercise we take, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the quality of our housing and sanitation – it even extends to our social circumstances and sense of purpose.

"Building this perspective into how we deal with chronic illness is the starting point for changing millions of people's lives and recouping millions lost to the economy every year."