Adult Disability Payment: Review of the mobility component

Prior to Adult Disability Payment being introduced on 29 August 2022, we gave commitments to both conduct an independent review a year after national launch and undertake work to consider potential alternative approaches to the mobility component.

We held a public consultation seeking views on the eligibility criteria for the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment. The consultation ran from 31 January 2023 to 25 April 2023. Six remote and in-person events aimed at a variety of audiences, including disabled people and stakeholders, supplemented the online consultation.

This consultation did not set out or advocate a preferred Scottish Government position or policy. Instead, this consultation was an opportunity for the people of Scotland and our stakeholders to provide views on the evidence presented on the mobility component.

A total of 210 responses were received. Of these, 108 responses were received via a survey tool created, launched and promoted by MS Society Scotland. People with lived experience of Multiple Sclerosis were asked six questions, and their responses were automatically entered into Citizen Space. The tool automatically answered ‘yes’ to two further questions on behalf of respondents. Whilst some of these questions were different to the consultation questions, we have considered the responses as part of the consultation analysis.

Most formal consultation responses were from individuals, with 37 responses from organisations. A range of organisations responded including third sector organisations, local authorities and representative bodies.

During the consultation events, attendees also shared their views of the eligibility criteria for the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment. Their insights were considered alongside the formal consultation responses.

We commissioned an independent research company, The Lines Between, to conduct the analysis of the consultation responses and we have published the analysis report as well as an Easy Read version of the report on the Scottish Government website. The report presents the findings of the consultation and explains the methodology used to analyse the responses. We have published the consultation responses, where permission has been given to do this, on Citizen Space.

Your responses to the consultation and the outcomes of the research will help to inform the independent review of Adult Disability Payment when it commences later this year.

We are continuing to work through the details of the independent review and are taking the time needed to get decisions right. We will provide further details as soon as we are in a position to do so.