980,000 ESA claimants fit for work

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Almost a million people who applied for sickness benefit have instead been found fit for work, according to figures published today.

A third (32%) of all new claimants for employment and support allowance (ESA) were assessed as being fit to work and capable of employment between October 2008 and March 2013 - totalling 980,400 people, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.