Social Security Scotland benefit processing times: FOI release

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

FOI Reference: FOI/202500451848
Date received: 7 February 2025
Date responded: 4 March 2025


Information requested

Request for information 1: The number of languages that Social Security Scotland’s website and benefit information/applications forms are translated into and which languages.

Request for information 2: The cost of translating Social Security Scotland’s website and benefit information/application forms into different languages.


Response

Requests for information 1 and 2:

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. Social Security Scotland do not translate our website or benefit application forms.

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.

We have interpreted your request regarding benefit information to relate to publicly available information and documentation, such as factsheets. We have translated such material into the following 13 languages over the last full financial year:

  • Polish
  • Arabic
  • Romanian
  • Urdu
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian
  • Traditional Chinese
  • Kurdish Sorani
  • Farsi
  • Gaelic
  • Lithuanian
  • Slovak
  • British Sign Language

The cost of translating such benefit information for the latest financial year 2023/24 is £28,132.


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.

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