Publication - FOI/EIR release

Social Security Scotland - Occupancy rates and hybrid working policy for Dundee-based staff: FOI release

Published: 26 October 2026
Topic: Money and tax, Public sector, Work and skills
FOI reference: FOI/202600515955
Date received: 1 May 2026
Date responded: 2 June 2026

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Information requested

Request for information 1:

The total number of staff who work at Agnes Husband House, Dundee, broken down by each month since Social Security Scotland moved into this location. Please also provide a breakdown of staff numbers by department in each of these months.

Request for information 2:

Any data held showing the average daily occupancy rate of Agnes Husband House in each month since Social Security Scotland moved into this location, including a breakdown by department. Please express this data as both a number and a percentage, where possible.

Request for information 3:

Copies of any policies that apply to Social Security Scotland staff based at Agnes Husband House about mandatory office days/hybrid working.

Request for information 4:

Details of the total potential capacity of the offices at Agnes Husband House occupied by Social Security Scotland. For clarity, I am seeking to understand how many staff work there now, compared to the potential total number of staff who could work there in the future.

Response

Request for information 1 and 2:

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.

Prior to April 2023, the number of Social Security Scotland staff who work in Agnes Husband House and the office occupancy information was not gathered regularly or, when it was, it was on total numbers of people in the buildings purely for Health and Safety purposes. Information from April 2023 onwards is held monthly and can be found in the attached Documents 1, 2, and 3.

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.

Request for information 3:

The requested information can be found in the attached Document 4.

Request for information 4:

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. The building capacity will remain the same, however we are not able to confirm the actual number of Social Security Scotland colleagues who will work there in the future as this depends on working patterns as well as on progress and requirements of the Single Scottish Estate programme.

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.

Social Security Scotland is working with the wider Scottish Government and other public sector bodies to use its office spaces more efficiently. The “Other” category listed on the attached documents relates to the attendance of staff from those other public bodies, in addition to our colleagues who have forgotten their pass for example.

This is part of the wider Single Scottish Estate approach to public sector property management. It will deliver value for money, save public funds and reduce public sector property footprint enabling progress towards our net zero estate targets and supporting the best delivery of services to the public.

Details of the number of staff working and of the capacity of Agnes Husband House, can be found in Documents 1, 2, and 3.

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.