Chamber and committees

Neurological Alliance of Scotland submission of 1 September 2021

PE1854/D: Review the adult disability payment eligibility criteria for people with mobility needs

I am writing as Chair of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland to outline our organisation’s support for Petition 01854 from the MS Society Scotland.

The Neurological Alliance of Scotland is an umbrella organisation of over 50 neurological charities operating in Scotland. As you may be aware, about 1 in every 5 people in Scotland lives with a neurological condition that affects their day-to-day life. For many individuals and families, the impact of a brain, spine or nervous system condition is enormous. The neurological condition landscape is complex and the challenges that people live with can vary considerably between, and within, conditions.

As the Scottish Government moves to replace Personal Independence Payments (PIP) with Adult Disability Payments (ADP), we know that neurological charities - and the people with whom they work - share the concerns outlined in the petition. The Neurological Alliance of Scotland believes that retaining the 20-metre rule unfairly discriminates against disabled people, and does not reflect the reality of living with a fluctuating neurological condition such as MS, Parkinson’s or epilepsy and those whose neurological conditions cause fatigue. Our member organisations hear frequently from people who have not received PIP awards that they are entitled to because of the application of the 20m rule.

There is no evidence to support the claim that the 20-metre rule provides an accurate measure of someone’s disability. People living with neurological conditions may be able to walk 20 metres one day, but not the next. As it is being applied, the 20-metre rule does not take into account the time taken to recover from walking 20 metres, and the knock-on effects that can follow forced physical exertion.

We agree that, in the short term, the 20-metre rule should be reverted back to the original 50 metre rule used up to 2013 for the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) while the Scottish Government considers a fair and consistent way to assess mobility issues in its new benefits system. Mobility assistance is a vital tool for promoting independent living and improving quality of life for disabled people, and we believe it should be awarded fairly to people who need it. At present, too many disabled people – including many with neurological conditions – are missing out. We believe that the devolution of social security benefits provides a real opportunity to do things differently in Scotland, and we believe we should take the opportunity to address the unfairness in PIP rather than perpetuate it.

We ask that the Public Petitions Committee take evidence from stakeholders with respect to this petition before making a decision to commit to the 20-metre rule in Scotland.