Funding of Reserved Benefits Policy: FOI release

Information requested

How much money has been spent funding the Reserved Benefits Policy section of the Scottish Government's Social Security and Reserved Benefits Division in (a) 2019, (b) since 2010 and (c) since 2016?

 

Response

I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested:

The Reserved Benefits team was established in October 2017.  As such there were no associated costs between 2010 and 2016.

From October 2017 and March 2018 the staffing costs for the Reserved Benefits team were included in the over-all Social Security Directorate costs. It is therefore not possible to accurately report the total cost of the Reserved Benefit policy area separately from the total Social Security Directorate costs for this period. 

In March 2018, Reserved Benefits Policy became a separate division within the Social Security Directorate.

The cost of the Reserved Benefits Division for financial year 2018-19 is expected to be £531,968.65.

This includes costs £181,885.51 for the period 1 January to 28 February 2019.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have asked for because the Reserved Benefits team was not established until October 2017. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

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.