By Bill Heaney
Scottish Labour has branded the SNP’s handling of disability payments “disastrous” as new figures show waits in Scotland are now twice as long as elsewhere in the UK.
Despite SNP Ministers pledging to design a fairer system in Scotland, people applying for Adult Disability Payment in Scotland on average have to wait more than 19 weeks for a decision while people applying for PIP with the DWP typically wait just 9 weeks.
Average waits in Scotland have soared since the payments were first rolled out, rising from 45 working days in September 2022 to a staggering 96 working days in April 2023.
The target waiting time for this decision was originally 8-10 weeks – but this has since been deleted from the website.
Scottish Labour branded this a “betrayal” and warned that these long waits will leave disabled people out of pocket during a cost of living crisis.
Scottish Labour Social Security spokesperson Paul O’Kane, left, said “Scotland’s social security system has fallen into utter chaos at the hands of the SNP.
“Their disastrous incompetence has left disabled people stuck in limbo for months and out of pocket during the worst cost of living crisis in decades.
“We were promised an end to the DWP’s callous approach, but instead the SNP has managed to outdo them.
“This betrayal must end – we urgently need to get this system working so people aren’t left waiting months on end for lifeline support.”