The work and pensions secretary has expressed confidence that Labour MPs will back his plans to reform incapacity benefit.

Answering questions in the Commons on Monday, John Hutton said his proposals would be released in the next three weeks.

The blueprint is one of a number of reform measures worrying Labour backbenchers, who fear that the drive to bring down the cost of payments will force claimants back into work.

Conservative work and pensions spokesman Philip Hammond welcomed the commitment to publish the green paper before the end of the month.

"Provided he stands firm in tackling the problems in the current system and doesn't allow himself to be deflected by potential rebels, we look forward to being able to engage in a constructive discussion on it," he said.

"But why does he think so many of his Labour colleagues appear to need so much convincing of the merits of a set of proposals which are designed to help people out of benefits dependency and into work?"

Hutton said: "It is not the case at all of having to convince my honourable and right honourable friends.

"We see in our constituencies the failures of the current system which he, to give him credit, very fairly said last week has led to a culture of benefit dependency.

"Now of course it was a system that his government set up, that has so spectacularly failed millions of people up and down the country.

"I am quite sure I will have support for my proposals on this side of the House."

Hammond replied that Hutton's own welfare reform minister had conceded that the government had done "sweet nothing" to address the problem of dependency.

He said that the level of incapacity benefit recipients had gone up under Labour and that the green paper must deal with both the rising number of new claimants and those already receiving it who want to return to work.

"Would it not be a betrayal of those currently trapped in dependency by this benefits system if he were not to address the issue of current claimants in the green paper?" he asked.

Hutton insisted that it would and defended the government's record.

"For the first time for 25 years the numbers claiming incapacity benefit is beginning to fall, precisely because of the extra support and help and investment that we have made," he said.

Jobs

Earlier Hutton agreed with Labour's Stephen McCabe that "the best route out of poverty is decently paid jobs for those who can work".

"The proof of the pudding has been in the pathways to work pilot schemes, that we have been testing up and down the country since 2003," the minister said.

"They have produced some very, very positive results indeed."

But former welfare minister Frank Field said not enough was being done to support incapacity benefit recipients.

"For every one unemployed claimant there are three incapacity benefit claimants," the Labour MP said.

"But most of our jobcentreplus' still spend most of their time helping the unemployed back into work.

"When he brings forward his green paper, will he be able to assure the House that all our jobcentreplus' will give a disproportionate amount of time to those who are the largest number in the dole queue?"

Hutton said Field was "right to describe the scale and complexity of the problem" and that the green paper would encourage jobcentres and other agencies to be more proactive.

"It is going to be important that jobcentreplus works, not just in terms of its own organisation, but supporting the voluntary sector and some commercial and private sector providers as well, to provide a stronger and better menu of support," he said.