Disability Living Allowance

DWP describe Disability Living Allowance (DLA) as a tax-free benefit for children and adults who need help with personal care or have walking difficulties because they are physically or mentally disabled. It may be available to people who have a physical or mental disability, or both, whose disability is severe enough for them to need help caring for themselves or who have walking difficulties, or both and who are under 65 when they claim.

Figure 1: DLA Claimants (May 2002 to February 2011)

*Relevant population is the population of any relevant qualifying age group described above.

6.9% of people aged under 65 in Highland receive DLA, lower than the Scotland average of 8.0% but slightly above the Great Britain average of 6.2%. Trends in Highland over recent years have been similar to those in both Scotland and Great Britain with a steady rise throughout the period, at a slightly higher rate than for Great Britain.

DLA Claimants by Multi-Member Wards ( February 2011 )

There is a wide variation in the number of people in each ward receiving DLA and wards containing deprived areas have twice as many claimants as less deprived wards. The wards with the highest percentage of people receiving DLA are Inverness Central (10.7%), Cromarty Firth (9.2%) and Tain and Easter Ross (9%), while the lowest are Black Isle and Inverness South (both 4.4%)

Ward No	Ward Name	All DLA Claimants	% of Population aged under 65 claiming DLA
1	North, West and Central Sutherland	295	6.7
2	Thurso	425	7.3
3	Wick	470	8.6
4	Landward Caithness	645	7.1
5	East Sutherland and Edderton	455	7.9
6	Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh	555	6.1
7	Cromarty Firth	905	9.1
8	Tain and Easter Ross	615	8.7
9	Dingwall and Seaforth	655	6.5
10	Black Isle	340	4.3
11	Eilean a' Cheò	520	6.4
12	Caol and Mallaig	405	6.5
13	Aird and Loch Ness	440	5.1
14	Inverness West	605	9.1
15	Inverness Central	1,205	10.6
16	Inverness Ness-Side	470	5.8
17	Inverness Millburn	385	5.7
18	Culloden and Ardersier	590	6.3
19	Nairn	625	6.9
20	Inverness South	515	4.5
21	Badenoch and Strathspey	510	5.1
22	Fort William and Ardnamurchan	650	6.9
	Highland	12,340	6.9
Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS

DLA Claimants by Local Authority (February 2011 )

Highland is ranked 16h out of the 32 Local Authorities for the percentage 6.9% of the population aged under 65 receiving DLA, with Glasgow the highest (11.2%) and Aberdeenshire the lowest (5.0%). Orkney and the Scottish Borders had the biggest increase between 2010 and 2011. All Authorities saw an increase in this time with the expection of East Dunbartonshire. There has been an increase in Highland (2.2%) higher than the Scotland increase (1.0%).

Local Authority	Claimants	% of population aged under 65 claiming DLA	% change in claims over last 12 months
Aberdeen City	10,010	5.5	1.5
Aberdeenshire	10,180	5.0	1.2
Angus	6,370	7.2	1.6
Argyll & Bute	4,770	6.7	0.8
Clackmannanshire	3,670	8.6	0
Dumfries & Galloway	10,240	8.8	1.0
Dundee City	11,540	9.8	1.2
East Ayrshire	9,260	9.3	0.7
East Dunbartonshire	5,160	6.1	-0.2
East Lothian	5,380	6.8	1.1
East Renfrewshire	4,180	5.7	1.5
Edinburgh, City of	22,870	5.6	1.5
Eilean Siar	1,400	6.8	2.2
Falkirk	10,560	8.3	1.1
Fife	22,600	7.5	1.6
Glasgow City	56,980	11.2	0
Highland	12,340	6.9	2.2
Inverclyde	6,880	10.4	0.7
Midlothian	5,730	8.5	2.3
Moray	4,350	6.1	1.9
North Ayrshire	10,350	9.4	0.8
North Lanarkshire	27,650	10.0	0.5
Orkney Islands	940	5.8	3.3
Perthshire & Kinross	7,140	6.1	2.9
Renfrewshire	13,120	9.3	0.8
Scottish Borders	5,680	6.3	3.3
Shetland Islands	940	5.1	1.1
South Ayrshire	7,670	8.7	1.1
South Lanarkshire	23,290	9.0	0.9
Stirling	4,840	6.5	1.0
West Dunbartonshire	8,280	10.9	1.0
West Lothian	12,320	8.3	0.7
Scotland	346,670	8.0	1.0
United Kingdom	3,216,450	6.2	1.7
Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS