Draft Disability Assistance (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023: draft equality impact assessment

Recommendations and Conclusion

This Equality Impact Assessment process has identified that, overall, the introduction of these amendments to the principal sets of Regulations for Child Disability Payment, Adult Disability Payment and Carer's Allowance, has the potential to have a positive impact for people in Scotland with protected characteristics.

The potential positive impacts identified include:

• Providing young people transitioning from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment with financial continuity by maintaining their payment cycles meaning they receive their Adult Disability Payment on the same date their Child Disability Payment was previously paid.
• Reducing the risk of gaps in payment for young people moving between Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment, protecting their passported benefits.
• Ensuring that all young people who turn 18 after 31 December 2023 are subject to the same rules regarding receipt of Child Disability Payment after 18 while continuing to protect the cohort of case transferees turning 18 on or before this date
• Ensuring that carers of individuals in receipt of Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment can receive Carer's Allowance while abroad to ensure they are treated equally to those caring for someone in receipt of Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment.

We believe that these positive impacts will help to develop better outcomes for disabled individuals, particularly those young people transitioning from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment, by further smoothing the process and providing them with financial continuity.

Name and job title of Policy Lead:

Jennifer Robertson

Disability Benefits Policy Officer

Social Security Policy Division

Name and job title of a Deputy Director or equivalent:

Ian Davidson

Deputy Director

Social Security Policy Division

Date this version authorised:

14 February 2023