Correspondence relating to Adult Disability Payment held by Social Security Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

Supply all analysis and correspondence relating to Adult Disability Payment held by Social Security Scotland, specifically about how much it will cost and whether it is value for money, between September 1 2024 and November 1 2024. 

Response

Your current request is for the same timeframe as FOI 202400417669 (I have interpreted this request to be for information held between September 1 2023 and November 1 2023 as opposed to September 1 2024 and November 1 2024) but for a narrower range of information.

The Social Security Scotland programme business case is a document that provides the analysis and evidence for the establishment of the agency for social security in Scotland - Social security agency in Scotland: outline business case - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). There is no analysis of value for money of Adult Disability Payment beyond the programme business case.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission’s Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts – December 2023 report, published on 19 December 2023, provides an independent forecast of social security benefits expenditure - Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts – December 2023 | Scottish Fiscal Commission.

It may also help to explain that the Scottish Budget for 2024-25 was set using the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s independent forecasts for social security benefits expenditure. The 2024-25 budget for Adult Disability Payment. is £3,226 million. It should be noted that years 2025-26 onwards are forecasts, and the budgets for each year will be set through the Scottish Government’s annual budgetsetting process.

You may also find the below information useful:

Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Social Security Scotland - Annual Report and Account 2022-2023

Social Security Scotland - Adult Disability Payment: high level statistics to 30 April 2024

Following our searches we have found correspondence and documents surrounding our engagement with the Scottish Fiscal Commissioner during the timeframe requested; these are attached. Much of the information in the documents is out with the scope of your request.

On reviewing materials within the scope of your request, exemptions have been applied in line with FOISA.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data, i.e. names and contact details of individuals, and disclosing this would contravene the data protection principles on Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

Some of the information within scope is already available here: Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts – May 2023 | Scottish Fiscal Commission.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

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.

FOI - 202400420811 - Information released - Annex A & Annex B

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12 page PDF

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