Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment: final report

Purpose and Remit of the Independent Review

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, 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 published my Interim Report^[6] on 5 November 2024.

I have considered people’s experiences of the delivery of Adult Disability Payment, as well as the eligibility criteria. The Review took into account the analysis^[7] of the consultation on the eligibility criteria for the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment, published in August 2023, and the analysis of the consultation and call for evidence^[8] for the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment, published in June 2024.

The Scottish Government asked me to 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)
• the consultations process, Adult Disability Payment-specific guidance for practitioners and decision-making guidance to ensure that 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. These initial priorities are included in the recommendations outlined in the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment Interim Report,^[9] published November 2024.

The following were beyond the scope of my Review:

• 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 (SRTI), 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.