Labour demand action after more than 100 disabled people died waiting for support last year

More than 100 disabled people died last year while waiting for support, it has been revealed

SNP Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville. Picture: Fraser Bremner/WPA pool/Getty Images

The SNP has been accused of presiding over a “cruel and callous” social security system as it emerged more than 100 disabled people died last year while waiting for support.

A freedom of information request from Scottish Labour revealed that in 2023, a total of116 people died before their application for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) – the Scottish equivalent to PIP – was approved.

Many faced long waits for support prior to the deaths, including two applicants who died after waiting for almost a year. One person had been waiting 327 days by the time their death was recorded, while another had been waiting 313 days.

The statistics show that many more died after waiting months on end for support, with a total of 24 people tragically dying after waiting for over half a year.

Scottish Labour social security spokesperson, Paul O’Kane, said: “As a result of shameful delays to lifeline payments, too many disabled people spent the final months of their life fighting for the support they were entitled to.

“The SNP promised to build a fairer, more compassionate social security system in Scotland, but instead their incompetence is leaving disabled people to suffer for months on end while bills pile up.“It is utterly appalling that people are dying while waiting for a decision to be made. Instead of ending the DWP’s cruel and callous approach to social security, the SNP has recreated it.”

A spokesman for Social Security Scotland said: “Sadly, some clients passed away while their applications for Adult Disability Payment were being processed.

“While we can’t comment on individual cases, there can be a number of factors behind waiting times, including challenges gathering information from a health professional to support an application.

“The average time taken to make a decision on an Adult Disability Payment application has dropped by almost 40 per cent since April 2023 to 59 days in January this year, the most recent month we have official data for.

“We have a separate application route for people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness with an average processing time of three working days and are actively encouraging people to use it.”