Social Security Scotland staff disciplinary action statistics: FOI release

Information requested

The number of Social Security Scotland employees who have received disciplinary action since its creation in 2018.

Response

We have interpreted your request to relate to formal disciplinary action which has followed on from the implementation and completion of our HR policy and processes. In line with our discipline policy, all minor misconduct is dealt with as part of day-to-day management responsibilities and as such may not be recorded. However, for more serious allegations of misconduct, or where minor offences are repeated after warnings, then if appropriate, an investigation and formal meeting is undertaken in line with policy. Formal disciplinary action is where the outcome of a full investigation of misconduct and formal meeting is either a written warning, a final written warning or dismissal.

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 under UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018, personal data processed by Social Security Scotland must not be retained for longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the data is processed.

As such, we are unable to determine the total number of individual staff who have been subject to disciplinary action since 2018.

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.

Within the last 12 months, 30 staff were the subject of formal disciplinary action within Social Security Scotland.

It may also be helpful for you to know that we hold record of 97 instances since 2018 where, following investigation of misconduct and a formal meeting, the outcome was formal disciplinary action. It should be noted, this does not equate to 97 staff being subject to formal disciplinary action i.e. an individual member of staff may have been the subject of more than one formal disciplinary action. 

These figures do not include cases which are concerned with attendance management. Such cases are dealt with under a separate Attendance Management policy.

About FOI

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