The number of people that have accessed the Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland (BASRiS) since 2018: FOI release

Information requested

I'd like to know how many people in Scotland have accessed the Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland (BASRiS) funding due to terminal illness in each year since it was brought in under the Social Security Act (Scotland) 2018?

Response

For the purposes of this response we have interpreted the request as how many people we have paid having applied Special Rules for the Terminally Ill.

When a client makes an application for Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment and are terminally ill, the supporting evidence that is required is a Benefits Assessment for Special Rules in Scotland (BASRiS) form completed by a Registered Medical Professional.

Social Security Scotland began to deliver Child Disability payment in July 2021 and Adult Disability payment in March 2022. The figures below for Child Disability Payment are from 26th July 2021 up to and including 28th July 2022 and the Adult Disability figures are from 21st March 2022 up to and including 28th July 2022.

There have been 41 approved cases with Special Rules for the Terminally Ill applied for Child Disability Payment.

There have been 94 approved cases with Special Rules for the Terminally Ill applied for Adult Disability.

This gives a total of 135 approved cases with Special rules for the Terminally Ill since July 2021.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.