Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) identification verification: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for the following information;

1) Please list the services that require users to verify their identity by sending in physical forms of documentation (e.g. a passport)?

1a) For each of these services, how many identities were verified in this way in your 2019/20 financial year, and what did it cost to process?

1b) Are these verifications performed by a third party or conducted by an in-house team?

2) Please list the services that allow users to use a digital method for proving their identity; and name the methods used (e.g. Gov.UK Verify or other equivalent digital biometric identity method)?

2a) For each of these services, how many identities were verified in this way in your 2019/20 financial year, and what did it cost to process?

Response

Please find a response to your questions 1, and 1a in the table below:

Service	Count (0,000)	ID Check	Admin of Documents	Total Cost
Age Retirement Applications	8309	£12,546.59	£7,528.86	£20,075.45
Death Benefits Applications	6132	£9,259.32	£5,553.78	£14,813.10
Early Retirement Applications	1676	£2,530.76	£1,517.55	£4,048.31
Ill Health Retirements	548	£827.48	£498.30	£1,325.78
Phased Retirement Applications	174	£262.74	£158.55	£421.29
Total	16839	£25,427	£15,257.04	£40,683.93

The cost of an ID check has been based on an average of five minutes at an A4 maximum salary band, £18.11 per hour. The administration of documents has been measured as an average of 15 minutes using the same salary rate.

1b) Currently all ID checks carried out at SPPA are completed by SPPA staff.

2) None in use at present

2a) None in use at present

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.