Adult Disability Payment applications: FOI release

Information requested

All applications for Adult Disability Payment, where the applicant applied under mental health and hidden disabilities, broken down for years 2020-2024 and until 2025, to date:

Your request for information 1: How many applications were received each year?

​​​​​​​Your request for information 2: How many applications were approved/refused?

​​​​​​​Your request for information 3: Of those refused, how many requested a re-determination?

​​​​​​​Your request for information 4: How many re-determinations were approved/refused?

​​​​​​​Your request for information 5: How many appeals were received?

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Your request for information 6: How many appeals were approved/refused?

Response

Social Security Scotland do not use “hidden disabilities” in any form of our categorisation of conditions. Conditions are recorded using codes which were developed based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10 (ICD10) standard, published by the World Health Organisation.

Request for information 1 and 2:

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Social Security Scotland does not have some of the information you have requested.

This is because we do not use “hidden disabilities” as a categorisation of conditions.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that Social Security Scotland does not have some of the information you have requested.

For the latest published statistics please see Adult Disability Payment statistics to 31 July 2025 - Social Security Scotland.

We have a record of applications having a condition in the category “F00-F99 Mental and Behavioural disorders”. Please see the attached document which contains this information broken down by year.

This table shows the number of Adult Disability Payment applications and their outcomes by financial year. It includes counts of applications started, completed, processed and whether they were authorised denied or withdrawn along with the percentage breakdown of those decisions.

Application figures for the financial year 2025 to 2026 will be an undercount because the condition information is only populated when the decision is made.

It may be useful to know that we publish some information on the number of applications and outcomes for cases by condition, which offers an insight into the Adult Disability Payment (ADP) data which we do hold. (Table 19, 20 and 21)

Request for information 3, 4, 5 and 6:

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Social Security Scotland does not have the information you have requested.

This is because we do not use “hidden disabilities” as a categorisation of conditions.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that Social Security Scotland does not have the information you have requested.

Although we publish information on the number of redeterminations and their outcomes, as well as for the number of appeals and their outcomes, (Table 25 and 26), we do not hold this information categorised by condition.

About FOI

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

FOI 202500494098 - Information Released - Annex

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