Information relating to Digital Transformation: FOI release

FOI Reference: FOI/202400411355
Date received: 25 April 2024
Date responded: 13 May 2024

Information Requested

Subject: Freedom of Information request - Digital transformation

Request for information 1

If your organisation has any active projects within digital transmission and the migration away from outdated end of life systems.

Request for information 2

If there is no active project, could you please advise when you would be looking to exercise this project.

Request for information 3

I would also like to request who the appointed contact/department would be in terms of the transformation.

Response

Requests for information 1, 2 and 3

We have interpreted your request to relate to digital transformation and have interpreted "outdated" or "end of life systems” to be any system for which either the vendor no longer provides support, or, where we as an organisation are no longer paying for vendor support.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Social Security Scotland does not have the information you have requested. This is because Social Security Scotland does not currently have an active, single digital transformation project. Social Security Scotland has been operating since 2018, and as such, has a relatively new technology estate, entirely hosted in the cloud.

Our systems do not reach the "outdated" or "end-of-life" status as defined above.

There is no active, single digital transformation project in progress at present as we are still delivering technology in conjunction with the wider Social Security Programme within the Scottish Government.

Any such Digital Transformation project would be unlikely to be commissioned until after completion of the full Social Security Programme of devolved benefits to the people of Scotland which is due to complete in 2026. The Social Security business case can be found here:

Social Security business case: February 2023 - executive summary - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that Social Security Scotland does not have the information you have requested.

Social Security Scotland’s Digital Strategy can be viewed here:

Social Security Scotland - Social Security Scotland Chief Digital Office Strategy 2022 - 2025

About FOI

Social Security Scotland is committed to publishing its response to requests. The Scottish Government also publishes responses to requests. You can view the responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.