Scottish Commission on Social Security: guide to information
Guide to information held by the Scottish Commission on Social Security (SCoSS).
Introduction
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 requires Scottish public authorities to produce and maintain a publication scheme. Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- publish the classes of information that they make routinely available; and
- tell the public how to access the information and what it might cost
The Scottish Commission on Social Security (SCoSS) has adopted the Model Publication Scheme 2018 produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner. You can see this scheme on the Commissioner’s website or by contacting us at the address below if you prefer a copy to be provided to you in another format.
The SCoSS is a new public body and, although is currently carrying out its functions as set out in the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, is still in its implementation phase.
This Guide to Information is therefore reflective of the small amount of information which the body currently holds. As the SCoSS moves into ‘business as usual’, it will reflect on the information it holds and update (or replace) this Guide as needed.
Purpose
The purpose of this guide to information is to:
- Allow the public to see what information is available (and what is not available) in relation to each class;
- State what charges may be applied;
- Explain how to find the information;
- Provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information; and
- Explain how to request information we hold that has not been published.
If you prefer, you can contact us (details below) to ask for a hard copy of the Guide to be posted to you.
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model scheme is, wherever possible, available on our temporary website. This information will be transferred to the SCoSS’s permanent website once it is created, and this Guide will be updated.
We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online or by inspection at our premises. For example, we can usually arrange to send information to you in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this – see ‘Charges’ below).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information below. If a document contains information that is exempt under Scotland’s freedom of information laws (for example, sensitive personal information or a trade secret), we will remove or “black out” the information before publication and explain why.
Copyright
Where we hold the copyright in our published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- It is copied or reproduced accurately;
- It is not used in a misleading context; and
- The source of the material is identified.
Where we do not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make this clear.
Duration
Once published, we will generally make information available for the current and previous two years.
Charges
There is no charge to view information on our website or at our premises.
We may charge for providing information to you (e.g., photocopying and postage), but we will charge you no more than it costs us to do so. We will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you. If recharged, postage costs will be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you.
When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy of the total print run. We do not pass on any other costs to you in relation to our published information.
Please note that this charging schedule does not apply to any commercial publications (see Class 8 below). These items are offered for sale through retail outlets such as book shops, academic journal websites or museum shops. The SCoSS is unlikely to produce such publications, but if we did, their price will reflect a ‘market value’ (which may include the cost of production).
Contact us
You can contact us about any aspect of this publication scheme:
Scottish Commission on Social Security
Area 2C South
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
Email: info@socialsecuritycommission.scot
Phone: 0131 244 2602
We will also advise you how to ask for information that we do not publish or how to complain if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of this publication scheme.
SCoSS Guide to Information
Appendix 1 of the Model Publication Scheme 2018 gives an explanation of each class of information listed below. You can see this scheme on the Commissioner’s website or by contacting us at the address above if you prefer a copy to be provided to you in another format.
Class 1: About the authority
Class 2: How we deliver our functions and services
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Class 3: How we take decisions and what we decided
- The Carer’s Assistance (Young Carer Grants) (Scotland) Regulations 2019: scrutiny report on draft regulations including the draft Scrutiny Framework at Annex B
Class 4: What we spend and how we spend it
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Class 5: How we manage our human, physical and information resources
Human Resources
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Physical Resources
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Information Resources
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Class 6: How we procure goods and services from external providers
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Class 7: How we are performing
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Class 8: Our commercial publications
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
Class 9: Our open data
As the Commission is still in its formative stages we do not yet have any information to publish in the class. We will update this as soon as it becomes available.
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