Complaints handling by Social Security Scotland: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
FOI Reference: FOI/202600503217
Date received: 24 January 2026
Date responded: 20 February 2026
Information requested
Please provide information in relation to complaints handling by Social Security Scotland, excluding complaints handled directly by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). Unless otherwise stated, this request covers complaints handled under Social Security Scotland’s complaints procedure, including Stage 1 and any internal processes used to record, progress, and close complaints.
Request for information 1:
Stage 1 performance. For the most recent continuous six-month period for which you hold complete data (please state the start and end dates):
1. The average time taken to respond to Stage 1 complaints (please specify the unit used, e.g. calendar days or working days, and whether measured from date received to date issued/sent).
2. The percentage of Stage 1 complaints responded to within published timescales (please specify the published timescale applied).
Request for information 2:
For the same six-month period as above, please provide the number and percentage of Stage 1 complaints that were:
1. Closed following verbal contact with the complainant (e.g. telephone).
2. Closed following the issue of a written response (email or letter).
3. If you record additional closure categories (e.g. “no contact / unable to contact”, “withdrawn”, “duplicate”), please include a breakdown of those as well.
Request for information 3:
Current internal guidance on closing complaints verbally Please provide any internal guidance, scripts, training materials, operational instructions, or staff facing process documents currently in force that relate to:
1. Seeking agreement from a complainant to close a complaint; and/or
2. Closing a complaint following verbal contact rather than written correspondence.
If the materials are embedded within wider documents, please provide the relevant extracts/pages and identify the document name/version/date.
Request for information 4:
Please provide any internal monitoring, reporting, dashboard outputs, management information, or performance reports produced within the last 12 months that relate to:
1. Complaint response times;
2. Complaint backlogs; and/or
3. Targets or expectations around complaint closure rates (including any KPIs, internal benchmarks, or operational targets). If any items include personal data, I am content to receive them redacted (I am seeking the structure, metrics, and aggregate figures).
Request for information 5:
Please confirm whether Social Security Scotland records instances where a complainant initially agrees to complaint closure but later withdraws that agreement, and if so:
1. How such instances are logged (e.g. specific outcome codes, notes fields, flags, or categories).
2. The process for how they are handled operationally (e.g. whether the complaint is reopened, progressed to a written response, or escalated).
Response
Request for information 1:
The information you have requested is available within our Feedback Statistics Publication at Table 4 – Complaints processing times. The most recent publication provides statistics up to 31 March 2025 and can be accessed here: Social Security Scotland feedback statistics to 31 March 2025 - Social Security Scotland
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
The next publication is due to be released in June 2026, which will include statistics up to 31 March 2026. The publication will be accessible from: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics
Request for information 2:
Social Security Scotland will attempt to resolve stage 1 complaints verbally with a client. If Social Security Scotland convey the decision face-to-face or on the telephone then a written response will only be required where this has been requested by the client.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. This is because statistics are not produced around the method of closure and it would involve individual interrogation of 1,850 stage 1 complaints, answered between 1 July 2025 and 31 December 2025, to identify if a written response was requested.
Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.
You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: How do I ask for information? | Scottish Information Commissioner (foi.scot)
Request for information 3:
The attached extract has been identified as providing internal guidance around closing stage 1 complaints. This information is available to staff through the internal knowledge management hub.
Annex 1 provides an extract of the guidance covering information to add to a feedback case under ‘investigations’ and close a stage 1 complaint.
It may be of interest for you to know that Social Security Scotland have published the complaints handling procedure. You can access the publication via the link below. Complaints handling procedure - Social Security Scotland
Request for information 4:
Our Feedback Statistics Publications will include the same information used in internal monitoring, reporting, dashboard outputs, management information, and performance used for complaint handling. Social Security Scotland feedback statistics to 31 March 2025 - Social Security Scotland
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
The next publication is due to be released in June 2026, which will include statistics up to 31 March 2026. The publication will be accessible from: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics
Request for information 5:
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Social Security Scotland does not have some of the information you have requested, this is because Social Security Scotland does not record instances where a complainant initially agrees to the closure of a complaint and later withdraws that agreement.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
While such instances may occur, they are handled on a case-by-case basis. If a complainant re-contacts Social Security Scotland within six months of the original Stage 1 complaint and indicates dissatisfaction, the matter may be escalated to a Stage 2 complaint for investigation, in line with our complaints handling procedure.
It may be of interest for you to know that Social Security Scotland have published the complaints handling procedure. You can access the publication via the link below. Complaints handling procedure - Social Security Scotland
About FOI
Social Security Scotland is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. The Scottish Government also publishes responses to requests.