The Scottish Government is spending a staggering £1,000 a minute of taxpayers' cash on benefits for people with anxiety and stress, according to an analysis of official statistics. The bill for those on benefits due to these conditions has reached an eye-watering £552 million a year, with the number of successful claimants almost doubling since SNP ministers took control of administering benefits from Westminster.
Welfare system 'designed to feel good rather than do good'
Experts have criticised the SNP's welfare system, arguing it was designed to 'feel good rather than do good' and may be causing more harm to people with less severe mental illnesses. Craig Hoy, Scottish Conservatives finance and social security spokesperson, said the findings show the SNP is being 'reckless' with taxpayers' cash and its 'soft-touch approach' is out of control.
Data from the government's benefits body Social Security Scotland (SSS) reveals that as of January this year, around 88,000 people were claiming Adult Disability Payment (ADP) of up to £195 a week due to anxiety and stress conditions. Most claimants received either £70.60 or £114.60 a week for 'daily living', while around half got a further 'mobility' payment of either £30.30 or £80 per week. If all these people claimed ADP for a full year, it would cost taxpayers £552 million – almost 10 per cent of Scotland's total welfare spend.
Think tank calls for tighter rules
Ben Gregg, head of welfare at think tank the Centre for Social Justice, said: 'The Adult Disability Payment is what happens when you design welfare to feel good rather than do good. Relaxing the application process and relying on overburdened GPs – when it is frankly not their job to act as welfare's gatekeepers – has caused an explosion in ADP caseloads precisely for conditions where cash offers the least benefit and can even cause harm. Scotland should tighten the administration of ADP and offer those with less severe mental health conditions the therapies and care services that will actually help them rather than cash payments.'
ADP was introduced in Scotland to replace Personal Independence Payments (PIP) when the Scottish Government took over the administration of benefits from the DWP in 2022. Prior to the benefits migrating to Holyrood, at its highest level around 42,000 Scots were claiming PIP for anxiety and stress. The Centre for Social Justice found the proportion of Scots on disability benefits was seven per cent higher than those in England and Wales, with rates of ADP claims in Glasgow currently four times (310 per cent) higher than the average number of claims in England and Wales, even after adjusting for differences in age and health.
Mr Hoy added: 'These figures lay bare the SNP's reckless mismanagement of Scotland's benefits system, with costs spiralling and caseloads surging on their watch. Their soft-touch approach and failure to carry out proper checks is fuelling unsustainable growth, leaving taxpayers to pick up an ever-growing bill. While support must always be there for those in genuine need, the current system risks undermining confidence and fairness. The Scottish Conservatives would restore control by ending light-touch reviews and introducing proper assessments for mental health claims – measures that would save up to £2 billion a year by the end of this parliament.'
Fraud concerns and political fallout
It comes as Social Security Scotland was accused of turning a blind eye to benefit fraud by referring just 29 cases to prosecutors in three years, despite a predicted 40,000 cases (two per cent of all claims) being fraudulent. In March, an SNP Holyrood hopeful was forced to quit the election race after it emerged she was being investigated for benefit fraud. Former SNP candidate Sally Donald had to stand down after a probe into her benefits claims. She previously joked about being on the 'SNP gravy bus' and stood down as the candidate for Edinburgh Southern after it was revealed she was the subject of a Social Security Scotland probe into her claims for adult disability payment. It was subsequently reported that she is liable to pay back more than £19,000, although she has denied any wrongdoing.
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader, said: 'The SNP has made an absolute mess of Scotland's public finances, showing scant regard for taxpayers' money. Scottish Labour believes in the importance and dignity of secure, well-paid employment, and we want to help people back into work rather than having to rely on benefit payments. The SNP should also take steps to ensure that their former candidate Sally Donald pays back the money she fraudulently claimed, to ensure that taxpayers' money is respected.'
Social Security Scotland was unable to explain the huge rise in ADP claims for anxiety and stress compared to PIP claims but pointed to a 'scoping exercise' conducted by the Scottish Government earlier this year which stated it was 'challenging to draw robust conclusions' on the increase in benefits claimants. SNP social justice and housing minister Shirley Anne Sommerville previously told MSPs questioning the country's benefits bill that it was a 'human right' to apply for social security. The SNP said the party 'will always believe in supporting people who need it most'.
