Allegations of fraud received for Scottish Child Payment: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

FOI Reference: FOI/202400428635
Date received: 27 August 2024
Date responded: 17 September 2024

Information requested

You have sent a request asking for the number of reports of suspected fraud for Scottish Child Payment that Social Security Scotland has received since February 2021 to 27 August 2024, broken down by month and year.

Response

We have interpreted your request to mean allegations of fraud. Allegations do not automatically become fraud investigation cases as research and assessment is carried out prior to tasking to an investigator. Social Security Scotland does not decide when fraud has been committed; that is for the justice system. Therefore, we do not classify a behaviour as fraud until conviction (or the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service has decided on a non-court disposal as an alternative to prosecution).

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Social Security Scotland only holds the information you have requested from January 2022. Prior to January 2022 the information captured did not allow it to be broken down by benefit type.

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

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. You can view the responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.