DELAYS in assessing disabled people for benefits have been “unacceptably long,” the Prime Minister said yesterday.

David Cameron made the admission after newly elected Labour MP Peter Dowd raised the issue in the Commons.

Bootle MP Mr Dowd said: “Last week, the High Court ruled that severe delays in assessing disabled people for benefits were unlawful.

“Given this, will the Prime Minister personally take charge to ensure that these distressing delays don’t happen again?”

Mr Cameron, who welcomed Mr Dowd on his election, responded: “He is absolutely right to raise this issue.

“Some of the delays, they’ve been unacceptably long for people to get their new benefits, particularly when we are transitioning from disability living allowance to personal independence payments.

“Those delays are coming down and I give him my assurance that we’ll keep on this and make sure the delays come down still further.”

A High Court judge ruled last week that the government had taken an “unlawful and unacceptably long time” to pay benefits to two disabled people.