Adult Disability Payment and Terminal Illness: FOI release

Information requested

On the Scottish Government website’s webpage about the Adult Disability Payment, it states that “If you have a terminal illness, Social Security Scotland will aim to make a decision as quickly as possible, in around 7 working days.

On the basis of that information, please provide the following information:

Request for Information 1: Confirmation that 7 working days is still the target delivery time for a decision to be made on an ADP application by person with a terminal illness.

Request for Information 2: The average processing time for Adult Disability Payment decision for people with a terminal illness in the financial year 2022/23. If possible, also include the average processing time for Adult Disability Payment decision in 2023/24.

Request for Information 3: The number of occasions the processing of an Adult Disability Payment application decision for people with terminal illness exceeded the 7 day target time in the financial year 2022/23.

Request for Information 4: The longest recorded processing time for ADP application decision for a person with a terminal illness in 2022/23.

Request for Information 5: The number of instances in which an application made by a person who claimed to have a terminal illness was rejected in 2022/23.

Response

Request for Information 1:

The guidance around notice of determination letters remains in place and available at Decision about your Adult Disability Payment application – mygov.scot.

It confirms Social Security Scotland aim to make a decision; after receiving completed applications; where a consultation has taken place (if required); and after obtaining all relevant information. Where clients have a terminal illness, Social Security Scotland aim to make a decision on Adult Disability Payment as quickly as possible, in around 7 working days.

Request for Information 2,3,4 and 5:

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. To provide the information requested would require interrogation of each individual record. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600, for example by requesting the information across a narrower timescale. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at:

http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx

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.