Adult Disability Payment: Independent Review - interim report

The Purpose and Remit of the Review

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville appointed me to Chair an Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment in January 2024.

Work began on the Independent Review in February 2024, and I will issue my final report to Ministers in July 2025.

The Independent Review will consider people’s experiences of the first year of delivery of Adult Disability Payment, as well as the eligibility criteria. This builds upon the analysis of the consultation on the eligibility criteria for the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment, published in August 2023.

Remit and Terms of Reference

The Independent Review will look at:

• The activities and descriptors that determine entitlement to Adult Disability Payment, including how these apply to disabled people with fluctuating conditions
• People’s experiences of applying for, receiving or challenging a decision about Adult Disability Payment or undergoing a review (including unsuccessful applicants)
• Consultations process and Adult Disability Payment specific guidance for practitioners and decision-making guidance to ensure a rights-based model of social security is being applied
• Considering initial priorities capable of early action that do not require changes to the application, decision-making or service delivery, where those changes offer value, are deliverable and useful regardless of any longer-term changes.

The Independent Review will not look at:

• The purposes of Adult Disability Payment or the adequacy of payments
• Wider aspects of disability assistance which have implications for other forms of disability assistance, such as supporting information, special rules for terminal illness, duration of awards and reviews
• Alternative forms of mobility support, such as grants, reductions in the cost of mobility equipment and vehicles and associated costs
• Alternative bodies to Social Security Scotland for delivering Adult Disability Payment.