Eye-watering cost of ADHD handouts in Scotland revealed – and experts warn it'll only get bigger
The next year there was a 28-times increase to almost £14million
'BALLOONING' BENEFITS Eye-watering cost of ADHD handouts in Scotland revealed – and experts warn it'll only get bigger
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ADHD handouts are set to hit £100million just three years after the payments were introduced.
Social Security Scotland handed out £500,000 in 2022, after taking over the benefits.
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The cost of ADHD handouts have skyrocketed to £100million in three years
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Liz Smith said Scotland's benefits bill is "ballooning out of control"
Credit: Alamy
The next year there was a 28-times increase to almost £14million.
This ballooned again in 2024 to £35million, while this year the figure is predicted to top £50million.
And experts warn the bill for sufferers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder will only get bigger.
Scottish Tory social security spokeswoman Liz Smith said: 'Scotland's benefits bill is ballooning out of control.
'While it is essential that adult disability payments support the most vulnerable, it's also essential there is a strong focus on getting as many people as possible back into work.'
Scottish Lib Dems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added: 'The system is broken. We should be spending far more to prevent and treat mental health conditions.'
In the past three years, 13,896 adults have applied for ADHD payouts, with 8,204 approved.
Those on a standard rate get almost £4,000 a year, while the average claimant has received £8,000 since the system went live.
Around two to four per cent of adults have the condition and new Government stats show a surge in benefit applications.
Claimants do not need a formal ADHD diagnosis for approval but must have supporting information from medical specialists.
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It emerged this week that firms are offering a 'no-win, no fee' service to help with ADHD claims.
John O'Connell, from the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'The surge in claims for certain conditions calls into question the whole benefits system itself, which is designed to help people in need.
"Politicians must ensure only those genuinely deserving receive support.'
But Bill Colley, chair of the ADHD Coalition Scotland, said: 'Awards are made not on the basis of a simple diagnosis but on the severity of symptoms and thus impairment, particularly where ADHD leads to complex mental health difficulties.'
Since disability payments launched, SSC paid out £2.9 billion, with £1.2 billion going to new applicants and £1.6 billion to those transferred from the DWP.
The Scottish Fiscal Commission recently warned of a cash crisis, predicting ministers will be spending £2.2billion more on benefits than they receive from the UK Government by 2030/31.
This would see the total welfare bill balloon to £9.4billion, about 15 per cent of the total Scots budget.
A SSS spokesperson said: 'Social security is a human right. We are committed to ensuring eligible people get the support they deserve.
'While a diagnosis is not required to apply, we do need supporting information from a professional such as a doctor or psychologist who knows how the person's condition impacts their daily life.'
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