Information regarding interim or contingency workers engaged in the Social Security Programme: FOI Review

Information requested

Original request 202500485221

I am requesting information about interim or contingency workers engaged in the Social Security Programme. For the purposes of this request, “interim or contingency workers” includes all agency staff, consultants, contractors, temporary staff, fixed-term hires brought in via an external recruitment agency, and any other non-permanent staff hired to provide cover, specialist expertise, or project delivery.

Please provide, for each of the last three financial years (or the most recent 36 months if financial years are not available):

[1] Numbers – The total number of interim or contingency workers engaged, broken down by month if available.

[2] Job Role – A breakdown of these workers by job title or role.

[3] Total Cost – The total expenditure on interim or contingency workers in each year.

[4] Average Daily Rate – The average daily rate paid, broken down by role if available.

[5] Duration and Turnover – The average length of engagement for interim or contingency workers, and the highest and lowest durations, for each year.

[6] Supplier Spend – A list of all recruitment agencies, consultancies, or suppliers used, with the total spend for each in each year.

If this exceeds the statutory cost limit, please provide the same information for the most recent 12-month period only.

I would prefer the information in electronic format (e.g., PDF, Excel, or Word files).

Response

I have now completed my review of our failure to respond to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for

I am requesting information about interim or contingency workers engaged in the Social Security Programme. For the purposes of this request, “interim or contingency workers” includes all agency staff, consultants, contractors, temporary staff, fixed-term hires brought in via an external recruitment agency, and any other non-permanent staff hired to provide cover, specialist expertise, or project delivery.

Please provide, for each of the last three financial years (or the most recent 36 months if financial years are not available):

[1] Numbers – The total number of interim or contingency workers engaged, broken down by month if available.

[2] Job Role – A breakdown of these workers by job title or role.

[3] Total Cost – The total expenditure on interim or contingency workers in each year.

[4] Average Daily Rate – The average daily rate paid, broken down by role if available.

[5] Duration and Turnover – The average length of engagement for interim or contingency workers, and the highest and lowest durations, for each year.

[6] Supplier Spend – A list of all recruitment agencies, consultancies, or suppliers used, with the total spend for each in each year.

If this exceeds the statutory cost limit, please provide the same information for the most recent 12-month period only.

I would prefer the information in electronic format (e.g., PDF, Excel, or Word files).

In accordance with section 21(4) of FOISA, I have also reached a decision on your request.

I am sorry that you have not yet received a response to your FOI request, unfortunately, due to an administrative error, the original request was missed when it was received and as a result was not allocated for a response.

I can now provide a response to your original request. I have broken down your response into 6 parts as indicated by the square brackets above.

1. Numbers
These have been provided in full in the spreadsheet attached.

2. Job role
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we do not hold the information you have requested. While we record the number of contractors engaged, we do not routinely capture or retain detailed breakdowns of their job titles or roles in a format that can be reported. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

3. Total Cost
An exemption under section 33(2)(b) of FOISA (commercial interests) applies to some of the information requested. The exemption applies because disclosure of this particular information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the economic interests of the Scottish Government.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open and transparent government, and to help account for the expenditure of public money.

However, there is a greater public interest in protecting the interests of Scottish Government contracts, to ensure that we are always able to obtain the best value for public money.

4. Average Daily Rate
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we do not hold the information you have requested. We do not centrally record average daily rates by role. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

5. Duration and Turnover
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we do not hold the information you have requested. We do not routinely capture or retain the length of engagement for interim or contingency workers. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

6.Supplier Spend
An exemption under section 33(1)(b) of FOISA (commercial interests) applies to some of the information requested. The exemption applies because disclosure of this particular information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the commercial interests of the suppliers utilised.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open and transparent government, and to help account for the expenditure of public money.

However, there is a greater public interest in protecting the commercial interests of companies which tender for Scottish Government contracts, to ensure that we are always able to obtain the best value for public money.

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.

FOI 202500485258 - Information released - Annex

File type

Excel document

File size

13.1 kB