GSD Calls For Disability Benefit Reforms
The GSD says the Public Services Ombudsman’s findings on Disability Benefit highlight ongoing issues with delays, transparency and appeals.
A statement from the GSD follows below:
The GSD notes the findings of the Public Services Ombudsman’s investigation into Disability Benefit adding they highlight serious and longstanding problems with delays, transparency and fairness which the Opposition has been consistently raising for years and which remain unresolved.
Although the Ombudsman’s detailed investigation focuses on four cases, the concerns identified reflect a wider picture seen through constituents consistently approaching the Opposition and through figures obtained by the Opposition in Parliament.
Government figures have shown some Disability Benefit applications waiting between two and three years, while some appeals have remained outstanding for up to three years.
The frequency of assessment and appeal panels has also raised questions as to whether the current system is equipped to keep pace with the volume of applications. This is not a criticism of the professionals serving on those panels, who balance this responsibility with demanding professional roles. It points instead to a system which needs reform so that applications and appeals can be dealt with properly and within reasonable timescales.
Shadow Minister for Social Security and Disability, Atrish Sanchez, notes: “Nobody is suggesting that Disability Benefit decisions should be rushed. They need to be properly and fairly assessed. But waiting 15 or 18 months for a decision cannot become normal, and people certainly should not be waiting years for an application or appeal to be resolved. Behind every application is a person or a family waiting for an answer and potentially for important financial support. The system needs to be capable of processing applications and appeals efficiently, consistently and fairly.”
Greater transparency is also essential. The GSD says the Ombudsman’s findings also reinforce its longstanding calls for greater transparency surrounding the process, eligibility criteria and reasons for refusal.
Applicants continue to have very limited information about the criteria against which their applications are assessed, while refusal letters leave individuals with insufficient information to properly understand why their application has been unsuccessful.
Mrs Sanchez adds, “How can someone properly understand a refusal, or meaningfully exercise their right of appeal, if they do not have sufficient information in respect of the criteria against which they have been assessed or receive sufficiently clear reasons for the decision underpinning a refusal?”.
Finally, we stress that it is particularly concerning that these issues are not new. In 2020, the GSD brought a Private Member’s Motion to Parliament on Disability Benefit, dealing with many of the same issues now being highlighted. Following amendments by the Government, Parliament resolved that the Minister should report back to the House within six months on consideration of placing the qualifying test on a statutory footing and on the Disability Benefit review which the Government said was already taking place.
That report was never laid before Parliament and, significantly, the Ombudsman now records that its office was unable to locate it.
The GSD welcomes the Department of Social Security’s agreement to undertake an external and independent review and will press for a clear timeframe, publication of its findings and, crucially, action on its recommendations. But we cannot simply go around the same circle again. This review must happen, its findings must be published and it must lead to meaningful change.
Mrs Sanchez ends by adding: “Applying for Disability Benefit, whether for yourself or for your child, can already be a stressful and difficult process. Long delays, a lack of clarity and too little transparency only add to that stress and uncertainty for families. I know first-hand how difficult navigating this process can be for a family, and that is why I am determined to keep pushing for a system that is more effective, more transparent and fairer for everyone who has to go through it. This is not about scoring political points. It is about fixing a system that can and must work better for the people and families who depend on it.”
