THE minister for social security is being urged to reinstate a higher rate of mobility allowance to disabled men and women in

Scotland who lost the awards after controversial new fitness assessments were introduced.

Jeane Freeman, a former columnist for The National, is being called upon to restore the payments when new welfare powers are devolved north of the Border next year.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on plans for the country’s first social security system, and has underlined that it wants to take a fair approach that treats people with dignity and respect.

It emerged earlier this year that the new assessment process, which significantly tightened eligibility for the higher rate, meant more than 30,000 disabled Scots faced losing the cars, motability scooters or powered wheelchairs they leased through the Motability scheme.

The stricter tests were brought in as disabled claimants were shifted from the old Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to new Personal Independence Payments (PIP).

Last night Sarah Glynn, of the Scottish Unemployed Workers’ Network, called on Freeman to reinstate the higher rate of mobility benefit for those whose payments have been cut when responsibility for PIP is devolved in April.

“The move from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments was deliberately conceived as a way to save money by removing people’s eligibility,” she said.

“One of the major ways this was to be done was by reducing the number of people entitled to higher-rate mobility payments. These benefits are designed to meet the extra costs associated with being sick or disabled, and the mobility payments have provided a lifeline to people, allowing them the cars and scooters and taxi fares needed to be part of society. The change in rule has seen people trapped back in their homes.

“As well as changing the system for future claimants, the Scottish Government needs to address this attack on disabled people who have already gone through the PIP assessment. There will be extra costs, but these could and should be met from other budgets. If people are unable to go out, there are extra costs too, financial as well as personal.”

Glynn has also called for the Scottish Government to ensure private companies are not contracted to carry out fitness assessments. “Introduction of the profit motive into our social security system totally distorts priorities,” she said.

“We have seen the development of a target-driven culture that focuses on the bottom line and ignores the needs and complexities of real lives. Under the current system, PIP assessments make good money for multinational Atos, but provide an appalling service for those in need. Over 60 per cent of appeals against failed assessments are successful.”

The call was backed by one Scot suffering from a painful nervous disorder who said he had been “robbed of his independence” after he was ordered to return his car leased through the Motability scheme after failing the assessment for the higher mobility award.

Chris Bridgeford, 57, of Forres, backed Glynn’s call. “I hope Jeane Freeman does reinstate these awards, which never should have been taken off very many people,” he said.

“As a result of losing the higher mobility allowance I’ve had to use the money which we were putting to my personal care to finance another car. Without a car I would be completely housebound.”

Bridgeford’s condition – complex regional pain syndrome – makes moving around a struggle, and the levels of pain suffered are said to be as severe as having a finger amputated.

But despite his condition he was deemed ineligible for the higher allowance because he passed a test supervised by Atos that involved him walking 20 metres with the use of two walking sticks.

Under the previous assessment, people using walking aids were automatically eligible. Claimants were not eligible if they could walk 50 metres.

Bridgeford said his mobility had deteriorated since he first spoke to The National in March, and he now had difficulty walking a short distance to his doctor’s surgery from the surgery car park. Last month the Scottish Government launched a 13-week consultation looking for views on the benefits being devolved to Scotland, as well as how they are delivered.

Once fully devolved, the social security powers will account for about £2.7 billion, or 15 per cent of the total Scottish benefit bill and will include responsibility for disability and carers' payments.

The remainder of benefit spending in Scotland will remain under control of the UK Government.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Dignity and respect will be central to Scotland’s new social security and employability programmes. That is why we are consulting extensively on our proposed reforms, which include changes to the assessment procedure for disability benefits and the introduction of lifetime awards for some conditions.

“We urge everyone with an interest in social security to make their views known before our consultation closes at the end of October. All responses will be carefully considered.”