The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work this Parliament in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. So the Committee has time to complete its work, it has agreed not to consider petitions submitted after 10 October.
The Committee will continue to meet but given the volume of petitions and agreed work programme it is unlikely that the Committee would be able to meaningfully progress work on petitions submitted after 10 October ahead of the election. Petitions lodged after this date will not fall when the Parliament is dissolved and will be for the successor committee to consider in the new session.
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Closed petition PE1913: Fast-track future Adult Disability Payment applications for people undergoing cancer treatment
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to create a separate department within Social Security Scotland that will fast track future Adult Disability Payment (ADP) applications for people with a cancer diagnosis whilst they are undergoing treatment.
Previous action taken
I initially raised this issue with my Local Councillor Shamin Akhtar who helped me progress this further. I asked Martin Whitfield MSP to ask the Scottish Government about this issue, which he did via a written question (answered on 3rd September).
I have also been in contact with Macmillan Cancer Support about this issue and they confirmed that many others have had similar experiences with delays in receiving PIP.
Background information
One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime - around 33 million individuals. The most difficult and challenging time for a family is when you undergo treatment and are unable to work. From 2022 PIP will be devolved. There have been many examples under the current system when people undergoing treatment do not receive their PIP at a time they need it the most. This is forcing people into hardship or back to work while undergoing treatment. I believe that the devolution of PIP and change to Adult Disability Payment offers an opportunity to change the system to make it fairer for people undergoing cancer treatment.
I want to ensure that the principles of being treated with dignity, fairness and respect are applied to people and that they are able to access ADP during their treatment when they most need support.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
323 signatures