Social Security Scotland - Consolatory or goodwill payment information: FOI release

Information requested

Request for information 1:

For the most recent three financial years for which data is held (for example 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25):

The total number of consolatory or goodwill payments (however described) made by Social Security Scotland in connection with complaints or service failures.

Request for information 2:

For those payments:

a) the total monetary value paid in each financial year, and
b) the minimum, maximum, and average payment amounts for each financial year.

Request for information 3:

A high-level breakdown of the primary reasons for which such payments were made (for example: administrative delay, incorrect information, accessibility failures, complaint handling failures, or other categories used internally).

Request for information 4:

Whether Social Security Scotland holds any internal guidance, instructions, or criteria relating to the consideration or approval of consolatory or goodwill payments following complaints or findings of maladministration, and if so, copies of any such documents currently in force.

Response

Request for information 1:

A total of 11 compensatory or goodwill payments were made by Social Security Scotland in the time period you have requested.

Request for information 2:

Financial Year	Total Volume	Total value	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Average Value
22/23	0	£0	£0	£0	£0
23/24	8	£800	£100	£100	£100
24/25	3	£208.20	£28.20	£100	£69.40

Request for information 3:

All 11 payments made within the timescale of the request were paid due ‘poor service level’ by Social Security Scotland.

You may find it useful to know that since launch in 2018 Social Security Scotland has paid over 1 million individual clients. In our Client Satisfaction Survey 2024-25, 77% of our respondents rated their experience as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

Request for information 4:

Social Security Scotland are an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. As such, we follow guidance contained within the Scottish Public Finance Manual. This permits us to make discretionary ex gratia payments, which are payments for which we have no legal obligation to pay (see Losses and Special Payments, point 27).

We may consider making an ex-gratia payment if our action or inaction resulted in a client experience which did not match our values or commitments, and caused financial loss, gross inconvenience or severe distress.

Please find attached four documents;

Client Experience Alternative Payment Process (Ex-Regulatory – ex-gratia)

Ex-Gratia Compensation Policy - Please note that this document is a working draft currently undergoing final review and approval. The draft is provided strictly for the purposes of this FOI response, but its content may change prior to formal publication and not reflect final policy.

IKM ex-regulatory and ex-gratia payments guidance

Payment Exceptions – Manual Payment – Ex-Regulatory Ex-Gratia Process

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 202600504505 - Information released - Documents

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