To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any increase in case load for the adult disability payment, particularly in regard to mental and behavioural disorders. (S6O-05710)

I am proud that the Government is delivering for disabled people by continuing to invest in helping them with the cost of everyday tasks. The causes of increased demand for disability benefits were analysed in a report that was published in January by the Government’s chief social policy adviser. The report found that the main contributors of increased demand are rising ill health and the United Kingdom Government’s raising of the state pension age, which, combined with an ageing population, means that more people can get adult disability payments for longer.

I am sure that Dr Gulhane will be aware that statistics that were published by Social Security Scotland on 17 March confirm that the proportion of adult disability payment awards that relate to mental and behavioural conditions has remained stable over the past two years.

I declare an interest as a practising national health service general practitioner.

The adult disability payment case load is growing at an astounding rate, with 750,000 Scots expected to be in receipt of the benefit by 2030. The increase is being driven by a rising number of people claiming for mental disorders, including 60,000 people claiming for anxiety.

Recent surveys have shown that GPs simply do not have the time to appropriately assess fit notes, which undermines the entire system on which those notes rely. Will the Cabinet secretary commit to introducing a robust assessment system that does not include GPs, who are under immense strain and pressure?

I am sure that, as a practising GP, Dr Gulhane is aware that fit notes are not used in relation to adult disability payment; that is an entirely different part of the social security system. The part that Social Security Scotland uses, which was built with the clients in mind, was developed with contributions from the NHS and doctors.

We will continue to consider what other changes can be made. However, I urge caution, because mixing up the reserved and devolved benefits systems does not do anyone any favours—particularly the clients who get those payments and require us to have a good knowledge of how the system works.

A constituent of mine said:

“I’ve been begging repeatedly for months for them to process my ADP claim, only to be ignored, told to contact charities or completely brushed off. We frequently go hungry due to severe financial hardship because I cannot afford to pay for essentials alongside Bills, and universal credit alone is not enough to support us.”

When I contacted Social Security Scotland to raise the issue, it could not say when a decision would be made, it would not say how long applications are expected to take and it said that the case was being processed at the usual rate. That is cold comfort to my constituent. Will the Cabinet secretary please commit to engaging with my office so that we can get an urgent resolution to this case?

I would be delighted to do so, but the member will have to be exceptionally quick in progressing the matter, as she will be aware that the pre-election period is coming up. I would have been delighted to take that forward at an earlier point had she raised the matter with me sooner. However, if she can get information on the case to me exceptionally quickly, I will be happy to look at it. I reassure her that we look carefully at the processing times in Social Security Scotland to ensure that we are doing everything that we can—both within the Government and within the agency—to keep those times down. As I said, I will look at the case, if at all possible, before the pre-election period starts.

I, too, am proud that the Scottish National Party Government continues to strengthen social security support and maximise incomes for our most vulnerable. The recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland on the welfare state highlights that high spending on social protection does more than just place a safety net for the economically disadvantaged; it helps economies to become more productive.

Does the Cabinet secretary agree with IPPR Scotland’s assessment? Can she tell us more about how the Scottish Government will ensure that people who are eligible for adult disability payment receive the support to which they are entitled?

The Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland’s recent work on the issue is exceptionally important. During a recent visit to Glasgow to launch the anti-stigma campaign encouraging people to apply for social security and to get the money that they are entitled to, I was particularly struck by an individual who told me that the way in which people are spoken about in this chamber and in the media puts people off coming forward to apply for social security, although it is a human right. We should encourage people to go through that process and support them when they make an application. Of course, after an application is made, there should be a robust decision-making process.

The IPPR’s report made it very clear that it believes that it is a myth that a strong social security system is incompatible with economic success. I concur with its conclusions on that issue.

Does the Cabinet secretary agree that ADP helps people to get into and stay in employment? If ADP is cut, more people in Scotland will have to claim other benefits because they are not able to work. I remind members that I am in receipt of higher-rate ADP.

This will probably be the last time that I will have the opportunity—at least in the chamber—to thank Jeremy Balfour for the work that we have undertaken together over the years. We have disagreed on many things, but we have also agreed on a lot, particularly on social security.

I am pleased to end on a note of consensus with Mr Balfour. It is important that we recognise that ADP is there to support disabled people who are both in and out of work, to help them with the increased costs of a disability. That encourages people to work and keeps them in work. Once again, he makes a very important point in the chamber, and I thank him for doing so.