Henry Sherlock, 50, claimed he had been bullied by the Department for Work and Pensions and other agencies making cuts.

He told Holyrood's Welfare Reform Committee: "I thought the days of the blind man begging with a cup on street corners were gone. Sadly, that is not the case. I still rely on family handouts and additional begged support in order to live."

Mr Sherlock, from Falkirk, is blind and suffers from chronic heart disease, diabetes and depression.

A DWP spokeswoman said the assessment process had "considerably improved" since 2010.