# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland at the end of each respective quarter. 

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
The first publication of Police Officer Quarterly Strength statistics as Official Statistics was on 2 December 2008. Prior to this publication, figures were collated by the Scottish Government and released through responses to Parliamentary Questions and by depositing the figures in the Scottish Parliamentary Library.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 created Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), which came into being on 1 April 2013. 
The statistics in this release are based upon quarterly returns made by Police Scotland to the Scottish Government, and are a by-product of administrative processes, generated directly from the HR systems. The published police officer figures are sourced from Police Scotland’s personnel records and as such the quality and reliability is good. 

Figures include all police officers appointed by the Chief Constable of Police Scotland and senior police officers appointed by the Scottish Police Authority, excluding those on career breaks. Deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

The following definitions apply to police officers in Scotland. These statistics include all officers deployed with the 13 local policing divisions, specialist and operational support, central functions, officers undertaking Scottish Police College training, long-term sick leave and maternity/adoption leave, officers at ports and airports paid either wholly or partially by the port/airport authority. Additional officers either wholly or partially funded by the local authority or an external body, and all officers otherwise seconded to Scottish Government, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS), Scottish Police Authority and elsewhere. 

These figures do not include police officers employed in Scotland by the British Transport Police, Ministry of Defence Police or the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

Police Scotland publish a [geographical break down of police officers](https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/police-scotland-officer-numbers/) on the Police Scotland website.

Further information on [Crime and Justice statistics within Scotland](https://www.gov.scot/collections/crime-and-justice-statistics/) 
 can be accessed on the Scottish Government website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The statistics in this release provide the official count (Full-Time Equivalent) of police officers in Scotland. Police Scotland publishes a [geographical breakdown of police officer numbers](https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/police-scotland-officer-numbers/) on the Police Scotland website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
The statistics in this release are based upon quarterly returns made by Police Scotland to the Scottish Government, and are a by-product of administrative processes, generated directly from the HR systems. The published police officer figures are sourced from Police Scotland’s personnel records and as such the quality, and reliability, is good.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The statistical bulletin is normally published the first Tuesday of the middle month of the following quarter (February, May, August, November). For example, the bulletin with police officer figures on 31 March is normally published on the first Tuesday in May.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Information is presented as total count (Full-Time Equivalent) of police officers at a national (Scotland) level on a quarterly basis.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
The first Police Officer Quarterly Strength bulletin was published on 2 December 2008, containing data as at 30 September 2008, and has been published every quarter since. Please note that changes over time should be calculated on unrounded figures.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
This dataset does not contain any sensitive or personal information.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Police Scotland complete regular quality assurance checks of their HR systems. Each business area, has a responsibility to review the quality of data they enter and hold on the HR and Duty Management System. Data anomaly checks are carried out centrally, using both manual investigation and automated scripting. These checks use data field value comparisons to establish inconsistencies. The frequency of these checks are predominantly monthly, quarterly, or on demand. Where anomalies are established, they are reported to the relevant business area for investigation and rectification.

Police Scotland Resource Planning & Co-ordination provide quality assurance of the HR and Duty Management System data relating to both officers and staff. Internal manuals of guidance have been developed for both officers and staff, providing instruction and process for the completion of quality assurance tasks on a weekly basis. This allows the provision of management information at an executive level of the Force and external reporting of statistics to the Scottish Government.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with the consumption by Scottish residents on goods and services and by private heating and motoring

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
These are sometimes referred to “consumption emissions”.  Scotland’s carbon footprint is associated with the spending of Scottish residents on goods and services, wherever in the world these emissions arise along the supply chain, and those which are directly generated by Scottish households through private motoring and heating.  The purpose of this dataset is to find out what effect Scottish consumption has on greenhouse gas emissions, by taking into account where the goods we buy come from and their associated supply chains.  

These figures are different to territorial emissions which are presented within the “Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions” dataset. The carbon footprint refers to greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with the spending of Scottish residents on goods and services, wherever in the world these emissions arise along the supply chain, and those which are directly generated by Scottish households; for example, through heating and private motoring.  Scotland's Carbon Footprint has been calculated in 4 steps: 

* Step 1. Develop an Input-output (IO) model; 
* Step 2. Develop a Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) model; 
* Step 3. Develop UK Based MRIO Model; 
* Step 4. Develop the Scottish Consumption Based Account (the Scottish Carbon Footprint). 

The carbon footprint is not calculated in the same way as Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions, which occur within a country's borders.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
A reduction in the carbon footprint Scotland is an indicator of more sustainable consumption behaviour from both individuals and businesses.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Scotland's Carbon Footprint has been calculated in 4 steps:   Step 1.  Develop an Input-output (IO) model; Step 2.  Develop a Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) model; Step 3.  Develop UK Based MRIO Model; Step 4.  Develop the Scottish Consumption Based Account (the Scottish Carbon Footprint).   

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The data are published on an annual basis around 3 years after the reference period. This is due to the time lags involved in obtaining and developing the underlying global economic data which are required for "Scotland's Carbon Footprint, 1998-2019" publication.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
These statistics are published in the Carbon Footprint Official Statistics publication. The data are published in Excel format and is also available as a PDF with accompanying commentary.

[https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-carbon-footprint-1998-2019/](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-carbon-footprint-1998-2019/)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
The figures are comparable to the UK Carbon Footprint release but totals for other countries are not comparable, due to on-going international developments in methodology

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
These figures are compiled in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.  A restricted number of people are granted pre-release access for quality assurance and for briefing of these statistics. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Members of the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) at Leeds University have compiled the figures and improved the methodology used in the Scottish Carbon Footprint statistics release.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Methodological changes were made to the UKMRIO between each release.

Since the carbon footprint was first published, successive releases have used different versions of the UK MRIO model. The 2012 release used a 2-region model which only distinguished the UK and the Rest of the World as trade regions. The 2013, 2015 and 2016 releases used a four region model, distinguishing imports from Europe, China and the Rest of World, using trade data from the Eora global MRIO. The 2017, 2018 and 2019 models adopted the same four regions but used trade data from a source called EXIOBASE MRIO. 

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Gross Domestic Product: Annual Output by Industry

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Gross Domestic Product: Annual Output by Industry

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
The value of goods and services produced annually, reported as an index (chainlinked volume measure)

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for Scotland are produced by the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (OCEA) in the Scottish Government.

Each industry sector is indexed to make them comparable. For each sector, the value during 2019 is taken as the base year, and given the value of 100. All indexed values are given relative to the base year.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Gross Domestic Product is the most commonly used measure of the economy of a country.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Scotland's Gross Domestic Product is a National Statistic, certified by the UK Statistics Authority as compliant with its [Code of Practice](https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/code-of-practice/) for Official Statistics.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The first estimate of the data are published on a quarterly basis, with each new quarter's data published every three months. The data are also updated with publication of the second estimate of GDP.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Information on [Scottish GDP](http://www.gov.scot/gdp) is available in commentary and tables published on the Scottish Government website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
Figures used for comparing GDP performance between Scotland and the UK refer to GDP at basic prices, also known as Gross Value Added (GVA). UK figures are taken from the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Quarterly National Accounts publication, and the headline CGCE series is used (which includes output from the North Sea oil and gas sector).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
This dataset does not contain any sensitive or personal information.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Scotland's Gross Domestic Product is a National Statistic, certified by the UK Statistics Authority as compliant with its [Code of Practice](https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/code-of-practice/) for Official Statistics.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Revisions to previous data are published along with the latest quarter of data as part of the [official release](http://www.gov.scot/gdp).

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Gross Domestic Product: Quarterly Output by Industry

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Gross Domestic Product: Quarterly Output by Industry

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
The value of goods and services produced quarterly

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the best known indicators of economic activity and is widely used to monitor economic performance. GDP statistics for Scotland are produced by the Scottish Government and have been designated as [National Statistics](https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/national-statistics/). This dataset contains statistics for the output approach to GDP and growth in real terms, and includes results for the whole economy (Total GDP) and industry sectors. GDP can also be broken down using the income and expenditure approaches, which are available as separate datasets.
There are two updates to the output by industry statistics each quarter. The First Estimate of GDP growth is published around 80 days after the quarter’s end, and an updated second estimate is published in the Quarterly National Accounts around 120 days after the quarter’s end.  The First Estimate of GDP statistics will be published on this website as open data; the Second Estimate will not currently be available as open data, but will be available on the [Scottish Government website](http://www.gov.scot/gdp). Results for previous periods are also open to revision each quarter. Further details on [Scottish GDP statistics](http://www.gov.scot/gdp), including methodology notes and the revisions policy, are available.

The Industry Sector dimension in this dataset contains the broad industry sectors used on GDP statistics for Scotland the UK. These are based on industry sections from the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC, 2007). Further information can be found here
The Measure Type dimension in this dataset contains four GDP measures, detailed below. The index measure is rounded to 4 decimal places and the growth rate measures are rounded to 1 decimal place. It is not always possible to replicate the published growth rates using rounded data, but all results are also available unrounded in the downloadable spreadsheets from the latest publication. 

•	4Q-on-4Q is the percentage change (growth rate) for the latest four quarters compared to the previous four non-overlapping quarters. This rolling annual growth rate gives a smoothed measure of recent trends. This growth rate is calculated from the Index measure.

•	Index represents the level of output in real, or volume, terms for each industry or total GDP, relative to the base year (2019). An index value of more than 100 means that output is higher than in the base year, and a value of less than 100 means that output is lower than in the base year.

•	q-on-q is the percentage change (growth rate) for the latest quarter compared to the previous quarter. This quarterly growth rate is usually taken as the headline measure of GDP growth. This growth rate is calculated from the Index measure.

•	q-on-q year ago is the percentage change (growth rate) for the latest quarter compared to the same quarter in the previous year. This growth rate over the year is usually compared to other statistics such as earnings or price inflation. This growth rate is calculated from the Index measure.

The Reference Period dimension relates to standard calendar quarters. Quarter 1 refers to the period from January to March, Quarter 2 refers to April to June, Quarter 3 refers to July to September, and Quarter 4 refers to October to December.
The Reference Area dimension for this dataset only contains results for Scotland, with no breakdowns to other areas. In this dataset, all results relate to Scotland’s onshore economy and do not include the output of offshore oil and gas extraction in Scottish Adjacent Waters.

Each industry sector is indexed to make them comparable. For each sector, the value during 2019 is taken as the base year, and given the value of 100. All indexed values are chainlinked volume measures, and given relative to the base year.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Gross Domestic Product is the most commonly used measure of the economy of a country.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Scotland's Gross Domestic Product is a National Statistic, certified by the UK Statistics Authority as compliant with its [Code of Practice](https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/code-of-practice/) for Official Statistics.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The first estimate of the data are published on a quarterly basis, with each new quarter's data published every three months. This open dataset will not currently be updated with publication of the second estimate of GDP.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Information on [Scottish GDP](http://www.gov.scot/gdp) is available in commentary and tables published on the Scottish Government website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
Figures used for comparing GDP performance between Scotland and the UK refer to GDP at basic prices, also known as Gross Value Added (GVA). UK figures are taken from the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Quarterly National Accounts publication, and the headline CGCE series is used (which includes output from the North Sea oil and gas sector).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
This dataset does not contain any sensitive or personal information.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Scotland's Gross Domestic Product is a National Statistic, certified by the UK Statistics Authority as compliant with its [Code of Practice](https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/code-of-practice/) for Official Statistics.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Revisions to previous data are published along with the latest quarter of data as part of the [official release](http://www.gov.scot/gdp).

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Life expectancy in years, at birth and for age groups

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Life expectancy in years, at birth and for age groups. Breakdowns are also given for deprivation (SIMD) and Urban Rural classification.

Life expectancy refers to the number of years that a person could expect to survive if the current mortality rates for each age group, sex and geographic area remain constant throughout their life. This is referred to as ‘period life expectancy’ and does not usually reflect the actual number of years that a person will survive. This is because it does not take into account changes in health care and other social factors that may occur through someone’s lifetime. However, life expectancy is a useful statistic as it provides a snapshot of the health of a population and allows the identification of inequalities between populations.

Further details are available on the [NRS website](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/life-expectancy/life-expectancy-at-scotland-level)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Used in monitoring and investigating health inequality issues within Scotland, setting public health targets, informing pensions policy, research and teaching.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Life expectancy at birth is an estimate which is subject to a margin of error. The accuracy of the results can be indicated by calculating a confidence interval within which the true underlying life expectancy would be expected to lie. 
The National Records of Scotland (NRS) have published research papers assessing the quality of the administrative data sources that are used in the production of mid-year population estimates. 

Please note that figures for 2020-2022 are provisional statistics. Usually, mid-year population estimates are used to calculate life expectancy. However, the populations for 2022 were taken from the 2020 based national population projections for Scottish life expectancy and from the 2018 based subnational projections for council and health board life expectancy. These figures will be superseded next year once rebased populations are available from the 2022 census. Figures by deprivation, urban-rural classification and Scottish Parliamentary Constituency for 2020-2022 are not available at this time.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The estimates are based on the mortality probabilities indicated by the death records for the three years prior to the date of publication. For example, the 2014-2016 estimates were published in December 2017. The most recent estimates were published on the pre-announced date.

This dataset will be updated annually

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
Time-series comparisons are currently appropriate at the council level. 

Care should be taken with comparisons at the NHS Board level until the time-series has been updated to include the corrected 2012 to 2014 mid-year estimates and the new 90 years and over upper age group. 

Urban Rural and SIMD Classifications change over time. Comparisons are suitable when the life expectancy estimate uses the same version of the classification as it will refer to the same areas. 

Further information can be found in Life Expectancy for Areas in Scotland, 2014-2016 publication on [the NRS website](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/life-expectancy).

There are differences between complete life tables (calculated for single year of age) and abridged life tables (calculated for grouped ages). The Scotland level figures presented in this publication are calculated using abridged life tables to allow for comparison with the subnational figures. The definitive life expectancy estimates for Scotland are published in the national life tables on [the NRS website](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/life-expectancy).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
This dataset does not contain any sensitive or personal information.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
These data are quality assured by a statistician who was not involved in the publication. The council level data were also compared against those produced by ONS.

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority (UKSA) has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in line with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics ([available on the UKSA website](https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/code-of-practice/about-the-code/)). National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
The estimates used in the 2014-2016 publication were calculated using corrected mid-year population estimates for 2012, 2013 and 2014 which were published by NRS in April 2016..

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Scottish international exports and Scottish exports to the rest of the UK broken down by industry sector.

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
The Scottish Government produces a National Statistics publication, Export Statistics Scotland, which estimates the nominal value of Scottish exports (excluding oil and gas) at sector level. It includes estimates for goods and service exports and is the only source of estimates for exports from Scotland to the rest of the UK. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The data are of interest to government policy makers, politicians, the business community, economic commentators, academics and members of the general public with an interest in the Scottish economy.

The international exports estimates are used in National Indicator to “Increase exports”. Further information on this can be found on the Scotland Performs website: [https://nationalperformance.gov.scot/international-exporting](https://nationalperformance.gov.scot/international-exporting).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Export Statistics Scotland is a National Statistic, certified by the UK Statistics Authority as compliant with its Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The code of practice is available [here](https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/code-of-practice/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The publication is normally released in January in each year. However the ESS 2019 publication was delayed due to the postponement of the 2019 Global Connections Survey (GCS), which is one of the key sources for this data. This was done in recognition of the challenges and pressures faced by businesses in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic and preparing for EU exit. The 2019 publication was published in October 2021 and we hope to bring the 2020 publication closer to the original timeline.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
These statistics are published in the Export Statistics Scotland National Statistics publication. The data is published in Excel format and is also available as a PDF with accompanying commentary, available [here](https://www.gov.scot/publications/export-statistics-scotland-2019/). 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
There is no UK survey which compares exactly with Export Statistics Scotland. Section 8 of the publication provides charts and commentary comparing Export Statistics Scotland export estimates with other UK and Scottish sources. Total exports for the UK which combine HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics and the UK International Trade in Services are published by ONS:
[https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/](https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Company specific details and any data from which it might be possible to identify individual companies will not be published.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Following the collection of data on exports, the data are cleaned and quality assured by Scottish Government statisticians. Outputs are subject to rigorous quality assurance and where possible other sources are used to review figures.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Estimates for previous years are revised from those published in the previous year and are largely due to new information being provided by companies. The most recent results are provisional, and are likely to be revised in the future when improved information becomes available.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Domestic Energy Performance Certificates - Dataset to Q4 2023

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Domestic Energy Performance Certificates - Dataset to Q4 2023

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Management Information: environmental data on the Domestic Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and Recommendations Report for each current record held on the Scottish EPC Register from Q1 2014 to Q4 2023.  Data extracted January 2024.  

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
This Management Information dataset presents environmental data from every current Domestic EPC assessment held by the SEPCR from commencement of central lodgement of the current EPC format from  Q1 2014 to Q4 2023 (data extracted from source in January 2024). This dataset includes the full postal address of every property assessed, plus additional data not presented on the Energy Performance Certificate or Recommendations Report. The dataset is subject to two separate licences arrangements:

•	Address Data - Any use of address data (ADDRESS1, ADDRESS2, POSTTOWN & POSTCODE) which is not specified in Royal Mail’s copyright notice below, or covered by one of the copyright exceptions (see further information within the download file), will require an appropriate licence. For further information, please visit [www.osg.scot](https://osg.scot/portal/).

•	Non-Address Data - All data fields other than the address and postcode data (ADDRESS1, ADDRESS2, POSTTOWN & POSTCODE) included within this dataset are licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The data published in this extract is made available as Environmental Information for data analysis and to enable research into energy efficiency issues. The data must not be relied upon to verify if a valid EPC exists for a building, nor as the basis for the provision of energy improvement advice for a building.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Lodgement of energy performance data to the SEPCR is subject to retrospective quality assurance on a sample basis with a minimum of 2% of lodgements subject to an audit process by the Approved Organisations that register EPC Assessors.  A note on action taken to quality assure data extracted from the Scottish EPC Register is included in the publication guide within the zipfile.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Royal Mail Copyright Notice: 

These data include post town and postcodes in which intellectual property rights are owned by Royal Mail Group Limited (‘address data’). The Scottish Government has published the address data with the consent of Royal Mail Group Limited, which reserves all its copyright, database rights, trade marks and other intellectual property rights.
Royal Mail Group Limited permits the use of ‘address data’ for specific purposes related to the energy performance of buildings which are as follows:

•	The effective management of properties in the private or public sector with a view to promoting energy efficiency (through consideration of factors such as patterns of use, maintenance, repairs, improvements and upgrades of building structure or energy using systems).

•	Research to provide data, analysis and statistics intended to improve the understanding of energy efficiency of buildings or to facilitate innovation and improvement in use, design, materials and equipment to this end.

•	Research into the effectiveness or impact of energy efficiency improvements including those delivered through Government or other energy improvement programmes.

•	Promoting and marketing energy efficiency improvements that may be made through a Government energy efficiency programme or initiative.

•	Promotion and better understanding of the current energy efficiency of buildings and potential improvement in the building sale or rental markets and/or by building occupiers or users.

•	To enable enforcement authorities to carry out enforcement duties as required by The Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008, as amended.

•	By local authorities in the exercise of their duties under The Building (Scotland) Act 2003.

•	For the prevention or detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of alleged offenders, any proceedings in a court or tribunal or complying with an order or a court or a tribunal.

In addition to the purposes set out above there are certain exceptions to copyright relating to Royal Mail postal information which permit you to use copyrighted material for specific and limited purposes. These include non-commercial research and private study, subject to compliance with certain conditions. Further information about these exceptions can be found here: [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright).

Where you publish or otherwise share address data with any other person for any of the purposes permitted under this copyright notice, you must include a copy of this copyright notice with the data.
Any use of address data which is not specified in this notice or covered by one of the copyright exceptions requires an appropriate license and is subject to Royal Mail Group Limited’s relevant terms and conditions listed at [www.poweredbypaf.com](https://www.poweredbypaf.com/).
By using address data on this website you will be taken to agree to the terms set out in this copyright notice. Failure to comply with this copyright notice may lead to Royal Mail Group Limited taking legal action against you.
You can contact Royal Mail at [address.management@royalmail.com](mailto:address.management@royalmail.com).


# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
This publication of data is experimental and does not include full data cleansing to remove ‘out of range’ data elements.  There may therefore still be small numbers of extreme values in the dataset and some degree of caution in analysis is advised.  Further quality assurance of data will be undertaken in future releases and feedback from users on any issues identified in the current dataset would be welcomed.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Non-domestic Energy Performance Certificates - Dataset to Q4 2023

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Non-domestic Energy Performance Certificates - Dataset to Q4 2023

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Management Information: environmental data on Non-domestic Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and Recommendations Report for each current record held on the Scottish EPC Register from Q1 2014 to Q4 2023.  Data extracted January 2024.

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
This Management Information dataset presents environmental data from every current Domestic EPC assessment held by the SEPCR from Q1 2014 to Q4 2023 (data extracted from source in January 2024). This dataset includes the full postal address of every property assessed, plus additional data not presented on the Energy Performance Certificate or Recommendations Report. The dataset is subject to two separate licences arrangements:

•	Address Data - Any use of address data (ADDRESS1, ADDRESS2, POSTTOWN & POSTCODE) which is not specified in Royal Mail’s copyright notice below, or covered by one of the copyright exceptions (see further information within the download file), will require an appropriate licence. For further information, please visit [www.osg.scot](https://osg.scot/portal/).

•	Non-Address Data - All data fields other than the address and postcode data (ADDRESS1, ADDRESS2, POSTTOWN & POSTCODE) included within this dataset are licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The data published in this extract is made available as Environmental Information for data analysis and to enable research into energy efficiency issues. The data must not be relied upon to verify if a valid EPC exists for a building, nor as the basis for the provision of energy improvement advice for a building.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Lodgement of energy performance data to the Scottish EPC Register is subject to retrospective quality assurance on a sample basis with a minimum of 2% of lodgements subject to an audit process by the Approved Organisations that register EPC Assessors.  A note on action taken to quality assure data extracted from the Scottish EPC Register is included the publication guide within the zipfile.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Royal Mail Copyright Notice: 

These data include post town and postcodes in which intellectual property rights are owned by Royal Mail Group Limited (‘address data’). The Scottish Government has published the address data with the consent of Royal Mail Group Limited, which reserves all its copyright, database rights, trade marks and other intellectual property rights.
Royal Mail Group Limited permits the use of ‘address data’ for specific purposes related to the energy performance of buildings which are as follows:

•	The effective management of properties in the private or public sector with a view to promoting energy efficiency (through consideration of factors such as patterns of use, maintenance, repairs, improvements and upgrades of building structure or energy using systems).

•	Research to provide data, analysis and statistics intended to improve the understanding of energy efficiency of buildings or to facilitate innovation and improvement in use, design, materials and equipment to this end.

•	Research into the effectiveness or impact of energy efficiency improvements including those delivered through Government or other energy improvement programmes.

•	Promoting and marketing energy efficiency improvements that may be made through a Government energy efficiency programme or initiative.

•	Promotion and better understanding of the current energy efficiency of buildings and potential improvement in the building sale or rental markets and/or by building occupiers or users.

•	To enable enforcement authorities to carry out enforcement duties as required by The Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008, as amended.

•	By local authorities in the exercise of their duties under The Building (Scotland) Act 2003.

•	For the prevention or detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of alleged offenders, any proceedings in a court or tribunal or complying with an order or a court or a tribunal.

In addition to the purposes set out above there are certain exceptions to copyright relating to Royal Mail postal information which permit you to use copyrighted material for specific and limited purposes. These include non-commercial research and private study, subject to compliance with certain conditions. Further information about these exceptions can be found here: [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright).

Where you publish or otherwise share address data with any other person for any of the purposes permitted under this copyright notice, you must include a copy of this copyright notice with the data.
Any use of address data which is not specified in this notice or covered by one of the copyright exceptions requires an appropriate license and is subject to Royal Mail Group Limited’s relevant terms and conditions listed at [www.poweredbypaf.com](https://www.poweredbypaf.com/).
By using address data on this website you will be taken to agree to the terms set out in this copyright notice. Failure to comply with this copyright notice may lead to Royal Mail Group Limited taking legal action against you.
You can contact Royal Mail at [address.management@royalmail.com](mailto:address.management@royalmail.com).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
This publication of data is experimental and does not include full data cleansing to remove ‘out of range’ data elements.  There may therefore still be small numbers of extreme values in the dataset and some degree of caution in analysis is advised.  Further quality assurance of data will be undertaken in future releases and feedback from users on any issues identified in the current dataset would be welcomed.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Business Stocks and Sites by Region of Ownership

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Business Stocks and Sites by Region of Ownership

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Number of VAT/PAYE registered stocks and sites operating in Scotland by region of ownership.

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Estimates about the number of VAT/PAYE registered businesses (stocks) and sites operating in Scotland, broken down by various groupings including industry sector, business size, and region of ownership are produced by Scottish Government within the Businesses in Scotland publication.  The Businesses in Scotland publication data are largely sourced from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR).  The IDBR is maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and is a database of all registered businesses operating in the UK i.e. businesses that are registered for VAT and/or PAYE.

Statistics from the Businesses in Scotland publication are used to provide insight into the characteristics of Scotland’s business stock, and how Scotland’s business stock has changed over time.

The estimates also include information about business employment and turnover (£ millions). The function of these data is to act as ‘auxiliary variables’ that can be used to (i) classify businesses by employee/turnover size band and (ii) calculate shares of employment and turnover across industrial sectors, local areas, business sizes etc. The nature of the underlying processes used to update these variables on the IDBR means that direct comparisons made using the absolute values are less reliable. Note the estimates do not include turnover information for financial and insurance enterprises as it is not available on a comparable basis.

A business (business stock) can be defined as the smallest combination of legal units (generally based on VAT and/or PAYE records) that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. Note a business carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. Businesses are counted only once in Scotland-level estimates or once each in each of the geographical areas.

A local unit (business site) is a business or part thereof (e.g. a workshop, factory, warehouse, office, mine or depot) situated in a geographically identified place.

Within Businesses in Scotland, business ownership is defined as:	UK (Scotland based); UK (Rest of the UK (RUK) based); Abroad. Country of ownership is either UK or Abroad (outside the UK). Business country of ownership is determined by the nationality of the ultimate parent of the business (i.e. the institutional unit, proceeding up a business’ chain of control, which is not controlled by another institutional unit). Where control of the business is shared, country of ownership is determined by the country of residence of the majority ultimate owner.  Enterprise (business) groups with foreign ownership are identified using data provided by Dun & Bradstreet.  All businesses that do not belong to an enterprise (business) group, and are therefore not under the control of another institutional unit, are classified as UK-owned.

The estimates also include one National Indicator: “High growth businesses”. The high growth business stock count is the basis of the Scotland Performs National Indicator: “High growth businesses”. We defined a high growth business as a business with 10+ employees in the base year (x - 3) exhibiting an average of 20% growth over three years in terms of turnover.  In practice, average annualised growth of 20% per annum over three years would be equal to 72.8% growth from year x - 3 to year x. 

More detailed information can be found on the [Businesses in Scotland]( https://www.gov.scot/publications/businesses-in-scotland-2022/) website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Businesses in Scotland data is produced from an extract taken from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) recording the position of units at March of the reference year.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
It is the aim to publish statistics on business stocks, and sites for Scotland, Scottish Local Authority Areas, and other geographical dimensions as soon as possible after the release of the Scottish Government’s Businesses in Scotland publication, which is published each year in early November.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
For other tables, commentary and more methodology please see the [Businesses in Scotland – Methodology]( https://www.gov.scot/publications/businesses-in-scotland-2022/documents/) website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
Data can be compared between different industries, legal status, local authority areas and to look at trends over time. Note “Registered – Private Sector” in the legal status refers to all businesses that are not defined as Central and Local government. Also, employee sizeband type (Scotland or UK) refers to the number of employees that the business employs in Scotland only or across the UK.

For comparisons with other UK regions, business stock estimates for the UK and all regions of the UK (including Scotland) are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).  A key difference between the UK series for Scotland and the Businesses in Scotland publication estimates is that Businesses in Scotland data includes all businesses that operate in Scotland regardless of where the business is based.  There are other differences between the publications, and for these please see [Businesses in Scotland – Methodology]( https://www.gov.scot/publications/businesses-in-scotland-2022/documents/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Any cell which is blank contains confidential data. This is data which has been withheld from publication in order that no information relating to an individual business is disclosed. Caution should therefore be exercised if summary data is calculated; it may include blank cells in which case it will not be a true representation of industry or area totals.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
In general, the figures for registered businesses should be final and should not be revised in future, since they are based on a snapshot in time from the IDBR which cannot change. However sometimes, when quality assuring the data for the latest year, errors in terms of the industry classification applied to businesses may come to light in which case we may correct the erroneous business classifications in previous years.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods: Applications

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods: Applications

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Received applications and authorised applications (awards) for Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment,  Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment and Best Start Foods Payment

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
The Best Start Grant includes three types of payment: Pregnancy and Baby Payment (applications taken from 10 December 2018), Early Learning Payment (applications taken from 29 April 2019) and School Age Payment (applications taken from 3 June 2019).

Best Start Foods is a recurring four weekly pre-paid card payment, which replaced Healthy Start Vouchers for new claims in Scotland from 12 August 2019.

This dataset includes received applications and authorised applications (awards) for Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment and Best Start Foods Payment. Statistics are provided for the last day of the month (e.g. figures for 2019-02 are for applications received or authorised as of 28 February 2019). ‘Ratio’ figures for applications authorised show the percentage of applications processed by the end of the month that had been authorised (not the percentage of applications received that had been authorised). 

Further information on application, processing times, re-determinations and appeals can be found in the associated [publication](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/best-start-grant-and-best-start-foods-high-level-statistics-to-december-2023).

Information on payments can be found in the [Best Start Grant: Payments](https://statistics.gov.scot/data/best-start-grant-expenditure) dataset.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The Scotland Act 2016 gives Scottish Parliament powers over a number of social security benefits which had been administered to Scottish claimants by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).   Social Security Scotland are the executive agency of Scottish Government responsible for delivering social security benefits for Scotland under the Social Security Scotland Act 2018.

Further details about all [Best Start Grant payments]( https://www.mygov.scot/best-start-grant/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
1) Rounding and disclosure control

Application and outcome figures have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five applications.

2) Missing and duplicate applications

The data comes from 100% data cut of the case management system. 
The data cut contained a small proportion of applications where the fields relating to application date and the outcome and payment of the application were blank. These applications represent temporary ‘prospect cases’, which are created when clients contact Social Security Scotland without a National Insurance number, and are later replaced once a National Insurance number is received from the applicant. These applications are therefore duplicates and have been excluded from the statistics.
Clients can make multiple applications for different components of Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods over time, or may make repeated applications for the same component, for example if their first application is denied. This means that there can be several applications in the data cut from the same client. For this publication we have retained all these applications.

3) Age and Sex

In a small number of cases the date of birth of the child or the application date has been entered in the parent date of birth field in the case management system. In these cases the date of birth of the parent has been changed to ‘unknown’. Further dates of birth of the parent showed very young ages. For these applicants, we have assumed that the dates contained typographical errors and have classed age as ‘unknown’, although we cannot be certain that their date of birth contained an error.
We are not currently able to provide figures on the sex of applicants.

4) Geography

Applications are assigned to local authority and health board by postcode using a Scottish Government lookup file. For some applications, the postcode will not match to the lookup file. This can be because the postcode is not in a Scottish local authority, or because the postcode has been introduced too recently to appear on the lookup file, for example if a property is in a new development. For postcodes that could not be matched to a Scottish local authority or health board, the postcode area was used to check whether the postcode was in Scotland or elsewhere. Non-matching postcodes from Scottish border postcode areas (postcodes starting ‘DG’ and ‘TD’) were also checked individually and assigned to Scottish local authorities or health boards or as ‘non-Scottish postcodes’ manually.
Following these checks on postcodes, in this publication a very small number of applications  were made by people with Scottish postcodes that could not be matched to a local authority or health board. A very small proportion did not include address information and therefore could not be matched to a local authority, health board or country.
Figures for the applications that did not match to Scottish local authorities and health boards are provided in the [official statistics publication tables](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/best-start-grant-and-best-start-foods-high-level-statistics-to-december-2023).

A number of payments cannot be linked to the full applicant details. These have 
been included in the 'unknown' geography category in order to ensure the 
repeatability of the analysis. Around 80% of the payments presented with an 
unknown address in Table 11 are the the result of the introduction of auto-awarded payments on 28 November 2022 which enabled Social Security Scotland to award eligible individuals payments for Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment without the need to apply. As our current methodology for deriving the Local Authority of a client is based on the application form submitted, the geographical location for payments are currently recorded as ‘Unkown’. Development work is underway to link these payments with an alternative source of geographical location information to enable these payments to be allocated to specific local authorities in future releases.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
These statistics are updated every 3 months. These updates coincide with our quarterly publications on Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods payments. These can be found at the [Social Security Scotland website](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/best-start-grant-and-best-start-foods-high-level-statistics-to-december-2023).

Data are collected, validated and published in as timely a manner as possible in accordance with the Statistics Code of Practice. Data are published quarterly and can be found on the Social Security Scotland website.


# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
DWP publish information about Sure Start Maternity Grant in the [Social Fund annual report 2019 to 2020](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-fund-annual-report-2019-to-2020) at Great Britain level only.

DWP also publishes annual expenditure for Sure Start Maternity Grants at Great Britain level in their [Benefit expenditure and caseload tables](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables).

Key differences between any figures for Sure Start Maternity Grant and BSG Pregnancy and Baby Payment are: 

*	Applicants can only apply for Sure Start Maternity Grant for their first child. No payments are made for subsequent children (with some exceptions for multiple births) whereas BSG Pregnancy and Baby Payments is applicable for first children and subsequent children.

*	Sure Start Maternity Grant payments are £500 for the first child, whereas Pregnancy and Baby Payments are £707.25 for the first child, £353.65 for subsequent children and £353.65 for multiple births.

*	The Sure Start Maternity Grant application window is from 11 weeks before due date to 6 months after birth, whereas BSG Pregnancy and Baby is from 24th week of pregnancy to 6 months after birth.

DWP does not have an equivalent of Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment.

The Department for Health and Social Care does not produce statistical publications covering the uptake of Healthy Start Vouchers in Scotland. However, management information on uptake has previously been published by the Scottish Government in a [Freedom of Information response covering a 4 week period in 2018](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-00531/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Some values are missing from this dataset. These values have been suppressed where they would disclose fewer than five applications. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
The data used to produce these statistics are extracted from the Social Security case management system. Extracts from this system are also used on a daily basis for internal reporting within Social Security Scotland. As such, the data is checked daily for consistency with previous extracts (i.e. do applications, decisions and payments figures increase as expected over time, and are they in proportion to each other) and compared to other sources of information such as the number of payment instructions reported by the finance team.

Quality assurance and cleaning has been carried out on the variables used in the official statistics:

* Checking for duplicate and missing application references

* Checking application dates, processing times and payment times are within the expected ranges

* Checking applicant and child dates of birth are within the expected ranges 

* Checking postcodes that do not match to local authorities 

* Checking payment values match to expected number of children 


Once the data is aggregated and copied into the publication and supporting Excel tables, the final statistics are quality assured by a different member of the statistics team.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Revisions and corrections to previously published statistics are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available on the [Scottish Government website](https://www.gov.scot/publications/producing-official-statistics/pages/revisions-and-corrections).

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Scottish Health Survey-Scotland level data

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Scottish Health Survey-Scotland level data

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Indicators of population health and related risk factors from the Scottish Health Survey (2008-2022). 

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
The data presented here can also be viewed on [an interactive dashboard.](https://scotland.shinyapps.io/sg-scottish-health-survey/)

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) has been carried out annually since 2008 and prior to this was carried out in 1995, 1998, and 2003. 

Commissioned by the Scottish Government Health Directorates, the series provides regular information on aspects of the public’s health and factors related to health which cannot be obtained from other sources. The SHeS series was designed to:

•	estimate the prevalence of particular health conditions in Scotland

•	estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these health conditions and to document the pattern of related health behaviours

•	look at differences between regions and subgroups of the population in the extent of their having these particular health conditions or risk factors, and to make comparisons with other national statistics for Scotland and England

•	monitor trends in the population's health over time

•	make a major contribution to monitoring progress towards health targets.

Each survey in the series includes a set of core questions and measurements (height and weight and, if applicable, blood pressure, waist circumference,  and saliva samples), plus modules of questions on specific health conditions and health risk factors that vary from year to year. Each year the main sample has been augmented by an additional boosted sample for children. Since 2008 NHS Health Boards have also had the opportunity to boost the number of adult interviews carried out in their area. 

More details on the Scottish Health Survey can be found on the [survey webpages on the Scottish Government website.](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-health-survey/)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) is used to monitor progress towards the following National Indicators:

•	Mental Wellbeing

•	Healthy Weight

•	Health Risk Behaviours

•	Physical Activity

•	Child wellbeing

•	Food insecurity

As a study of public health, the Scottish Health Survey plays an important role in assessing health outcomes, health risks and the extent of health inequalities in Scotland and how these have changed over time. As well as being the official source for measuring progress on a number of National Performance Framework indicators, SHeS is used to monitor numerous health strategies, programmes and initiatives. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
The survey is currently designed to yield a representative sample of the general population living in private households in Scotland every year. Those living in institutions, who are likely to be older and, on average, in poorer health than those in private households, were outwith the scope of the survey. This should be borne in mind when interpreting the survey findings. The survey uses a clustered, stratified multi-stage sample design. In addition, weights are applied when obtaining survey estimates. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The Scottish Health Survey was first run in 1995, then 1998, 2003 and has been in the field continuously since 2008. Annual statistics publications presenting nationally representative results are published, typically in autumn the following year. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Detailed survey documentation is available on [the Scottish Health Survey webpages.](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-health-survey/)

Users may also submit a special dataset request for their own analysis by following [the guidance and proforma available online](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-statistics-request-our-data/)
Disclosure controlled survey microdata are available to registered researchers via [the UK Data Service.](https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
A number of changes were introduced in light of the 2017 Scottish Government review of the Scottish Surveys Core Questions, and following the 2016 Scottish Government consultation on the Scottish Health Survey questionnaire content which was published in Spring 2017. The key changes implemented in 2018 for the 2018-2021 surveys include:

•	Increased sample size allowing for analysis at Local Authority level by 2021.

•	Removal of local police force, contraception and cosmetic procedures questions.

•	Removal of urine sample from the biological module.

•	A number of modules will no longer appear in the questionnaire each year, but will appear approximately every 2 or 4 years: gambling, problem drinking, dental health services, parental history, respiratory health, CPR training and use of health services.

•	New questions introduced asked about satisfaction with key public services, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), asthma, type of diabetes and gender identity.

These changes are discussed in greater detail in the Scottish Health Survey 2019: Volume 2 Technical Report and also in the Scottish Health Survey Report of Questionnaire Changes from 2018. The final questionnaire documentation for 2018 can be found in Appendix A of the Scottish Health Survey 2018 Technical Report.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Survey results are not released in a form that reveals the identity of individual participants. Participants are provided assurances that their information will only be used for statistical and research purposes in accordance with data protection legislation. Statistical Disclosure Control procedures, including variable removal, top coding and recoding and used to ensure that survey microdata, available via the UK Data Service, does not reveal the identity of individuals. Survey participants who provide their written consent may be asked to take part in follow-up research projects. Data for participants who provide their written consent are linked to NHS health records to enable further analysis. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Further information on the survey methodology can be accessed on [the SHeS webpages.](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-health-survey/)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Revisions and corrections to previously published Scottish Health Survey data are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy on revisions and corrections. We undertake to publish any corrections to the published data as soon as they become available. Details of previous revisions are published on the [Scottish Health Survey webpage](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-health-survey/)

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods: Expenditure

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods: Expenditure

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Expenditure for Best Start Grant (BSG) Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment and Best Start Foods Payment

Contact email- MI@socialsecurity.gov.scot

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
The Best Start Grant includes three types of payment: Pregnancy and Baby Payment (applications taken from 10 December 2018), Early Learning Payment (applications taken from 29 April 2019) and School Age Payment (applications taken from 3 June 2019).

Best Start Foods is a recurring four weekly pre-paid card payment, which replaced Healthy Start Vouchers for new claims in Scotland from 12 August 2019.

This dataset includes received applications and authorised applications (awards) for Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment and Best Start Foods Payment. Statistics are provided for the last day of the month (e.g. figures for 2019-02 are for applications received or authorised as of 28 February 2019). ‘Ratio’ figures for applications authorised show the percentage of applications processed by the end of the month that had been authorised (not the percentage of applications received that had been authorised). 

Further information on application, processing times, redeterminations and appeals can be found in the associated [publication](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/best-start-grant-and-best-start-foods-high-level-statistics-to-december-2023).

Information on applications can be found in the [Best Start Grant: Applications](https://statistics.gov.scot/data/best-start-grant) dataset.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The Scotland Act 2016 gives Scottish Parliament powers over a number of social security benefits which had been administered to Scottish claimants by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).   Social Security Scotland are the executive agency of Scottish Government responsible for delivering social security benefits for Scotland under the Social Security Scotland Act 2018.

Further details about all [Best Start Grant payments]( https://www.mygov.scot/best-start-grant/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
1) Rounding and disclosure control

Application and outcome figures have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five applications.

2) Missing and duplicate applications

The data comes from 100% data cut of the case management system. 
The data cut contained a small proportion of applications where the fields relating to application date and the outcome and payment of the application were blank. These applications represent temporary ‘prospect cases’, which are created when clients contact Social Security Scotland without a National Insurance number, and are later replaced once a National Insurance number is received from the applicant. These applications are therefore duplicates and have been excluded from the statistics.
Clients can make multiple applications for different components of Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods over time, or may make repeated applications for the same component, for example if their first application is denied. This means that there can be several applications in the data cut from the same client. For this publication we have retained all these applications.

3) Age and Sex

In a small number of cases the date of birth of the child or the application date has been entered in the parent date of birth field in the case management system. In these cases the date of birth of the parent has been changed to ‘unknown’. Further dates of birth of the parent showed very young ages. For these applicants, we have assumed that the dates contained typographical errors and have classed age as ‘unknown’, although we cannot be certain that their date of birth contained an error.
We are not currently able to provide figures on the Sex of applicants.

4) Geography

Applications are assigned to local authority and health board by postcode using a Scottish Government lookup file. For some applications, the postcode will not match to the lookup file. This can be because the postcode is not in a Scottish local authority, or because the postcode has been introduced too recently to appear on the lookup file, for example if a property is in a new development. For postcodes that could not be matched to a Scottish local authority or health board, the postcode area was used to check whether the postcode was in Scotland or elsewhere. Non-matching postcodes from Scottish border postcode areas (postcodes starting ‘DG’ and ‘TD’) were also checked individually and assigned to Scottish local authorities or health boards or as ‘non-Scottish postcodes’ manually.
Following these checks on postcodes, in this publication a very small number of applications were made by people with Scottish postcodes that could not be matched to a local authority or health board. A very small proportion did not include address information and therefore could not be matched to a local authority, health board or country.

A number of payments cannot be linked to the full applicant details. These have 
been included in the 'unknown' geography category in order to ensure the 
repeatability of the analysis. Around 80% of the payments presented with an 
unknown address in Table 11 are the the result of the introduction of auto-awarded payments on 28 November 2022 which enabled Social Security Scotland to award eligible individuals payments for Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment without the need to apply. As our current methodology for deriving the Local Authority of a client is based on the application form submitted, the geographical location for payments are currently recorded as ‘Unknown’. Development work is underway to link these payments with an alternative source of geographical location information to enable these payments to be allocated to specific local authorities in future releases.

Figures for the applications that did not match to Scottish local authorities and health boards are provided in the [official statistics publication tables](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/best-start-grant-and-best-start-foods-high-level-statistics-to-december-2023).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
These statistics are updated every 3 months. These updates coincide with our quarterly publications on Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods applications and payments. These can be found at [the Social Security Scotland website](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/best-start-grant-and-best-start-foods-high-level-statistics-to-december-2023).

Data are collected, validated and published in as timely a manner as possible in accordance with the Statistics Code of Practice. Data are published quarterly and can be found on the Social Security Scotland website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
DWP publish information about Sure Start Maternity Grant in the [Social Fund annual report 2019 to 2020](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-fund-annual-report-2019-to-2020) at Great Britain level only.

DWP also publishes annual expenditure for Sure Start Maternity Grants at Great Britain level in their [Benefit expenditure and caseload tables](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables).


Key differences between any figures for Sure Start Maternity Grant and BSG Pregnancy and Baby Payment are: 

*	Applicants can only apply for Sure Start Maternity Grant for their first child. No payments are made for subsequent children (with some exceptions for multiple births) whereas BSG Pregnancy and Baby Payments is applicable for first children and subsequent children.

*	Sure Start Maternity Grant payments are £500 for the first child, whereas Pregnancy and Baby Payments are £707.25 for the first child, £353.65 for subsequent children and £353.65 for multiple births.

*	The Sure Start Maternity Grant application window is from 11 weeks before due date to 6 months after birth, whereas BSG Pregnancy and Baby is from 24th week of pregnancy to 6 months after birth.

DWP does not have an equivalent of Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment.

The Department for Health and Social Care does not produce statistical publications covering the uptake of Healthy Start Vouchers in Scotland. However, management information on uptake has previously been published by the Scottish Government in a [Freedom of Information response covering a 4 week period in 2018](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-00531/).


# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Some values are missing from this dataset. These values have been suppressed where they would disclose fewer than five applications. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
The data used to produce these statistics are extracted from the Social Security case management system. Extracts from this system are also used on a daily basis for internal reporting within Social Security Scotland. As such, the data is checked daily for consistency with previous extracts (i.e. do applications, decisions and payments figures increase as expected over time, and are they in proportion to each other) and compared to other sources of information such as the number of payment instructions reported by the finance team.

Quality assurance and cleaning has been carried out on the variables used in the official statistics:

*	Checking for duplicate and missing application references

*	Checking application dates, processing times and payment times are within the expected ranges

*	Checking applicant and child dates of birth are within the expected ranges 

*	Checking postcodes that do not match to local authorities 

*	Checking payment values match to expected number of children 


Once the data is aggregated and copied into the publication and supporting Excel tables, the final statistics are quality assured by a different member of the statistics team.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Revisions and corrections to previously published statistics are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available on the [Scottish Government website](https://www.gov.scot/publications/producing-official-statistics/pages/revisions-and-corrections).

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Scottish Health Survey-Local area level data

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Scottish Health Survey-Local area level data

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Indicators of population health and related risk factors from the Scottish Health Survey

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
The latest data presented here can also be viewed on [an interactive dashboard.](https://scotland.shinyapps.io/sg-scottish-health-survey/)

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) has been carried out annually since 2008 and prior to this was carried out in 1995, 1998, and 2003. 

Commissioned by the Scottish Government Health Directorates, the series provides regular information on aspects of the public’s health and factors related to health which cannot be obtained from other sources. The SHeS series was designed to:

•	estimate the prevalence of particular health conditions in Scotland

•	estimate the prevalence of certain risk factors associated with these health conditions and to document the pattern of related health behaviours

•	look at differences between regions and subgroups of the population in the extent of their having these particular health conditions or risk factors, and to make comparisons with other national statistics for Scotland and England

•	monitor trends in the population's health over time

•	make a major contribution to monitoring progress towards health targets

Each survey in the series includes a set of core questions and measurements (height and weight and, if applicable, blood pressure, waist circumference,  and saliva samples), plus modules of questions on specific health conditions and health risk factors that vary from year to year. Each year the main sample has been augmented by an additional boosted sample for children. Since 2008 NHS Health Boards have also had the opportunity to boost the number of adult interviews carried out in their area.  

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) is used to monitor progress towards the following National Indicators:

•	Mental Wellbeing

•	Healthy Weight

•	Health Risk Behaviours

•	Physical Activity

•	Child wellbeing

•	Food insecurity

As a study of public health, the Scottish Health Survey plays an important role in assessing health outcomes, health risks and the extent of health inequalities in Scotland and how these have changed over time. As well as being the official source for measuring progress on a number of National Performance Framework indicators, SHeS is used to monitor numerous health strategies, programmes and initiatives. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
The survey is currently designed to yield a representative sample of the general population living in private households in Scotland every year.  Estimates at NHS Health Board and Local Authority level are available over a four year reporting period. Those living in institutions, who are likely to be older and, on average, in poorer health than those in private households, were outwith the scope of the survey. This should be borne in mind when interpreting the survey findings. The survey uses a clustered, stratified multi-stage sample design. In addition, weights are applied when obtaining survey estimates.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The Scottish Health Survey was first run in 1995, then 1998, 2003 and has been in the field continuously since 2008. Annual statistics publications presenting nationally representative results are published, typically in autumn the following year. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Detailed survey documentation is available on [the Scottish Health Survey webpages.](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-health-survey/)

Users may also submit a special dataset request for their own analysis by [following our guidance and proforma.](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-statistics-request-our-data/)

Disclosure controlled survey microdata are available to registered researchers via the [UK Data Service.](https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
A number of changes were introduced in light of the 2017 Scottish Government review of the Scottish Surveys Core Questions, and following the 2016 Scottish Government consultation on the Scottish Health Survey questionnaire content which was published in Spring 2017. The key changes implemented in 2018 for the 2018-2021 surveys include:

•	Increased sample size allowing for analysis at Local Authority level by 2021.

•	Removal of local police force, contraception and cosmetic procedures questions.

•	Removal of urine sample from the biological module.

•	A number of modules will no longer appear in the questionnaire each year, but will appear approximately every 2 or 4 years: gambling, problem drinking, dental health services, parental history, respiratory health, CPR training and use of health services.

•	New questions introduced asked about satisfaction with key public services, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), asthma, type of diabetes and gender identity.

These changes are discussed in greater detail in the Scottish Health Survey 2019: Volume 2 Technical Report (section 1.3) and also in the Scottish Health Survey Report of Questionnaire Changes from 2018. The final questionnaire documentation for 2018 can be found in Appendix A of the Scottish Health Survey 2018 Technical Report.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Survey results are not released in a form that reveals the identity of individual participants. Participants are provided assurances that their information will only be used for statistical and research purposes in accordance with data protection legislation. Statistical Disclosure Control procedures, including variable removal, top coding and recoding and used to ensure that survey microdata, available via the UK Data Service, does not reveal the identity of individuals. Survey participants who provide their written consent may be asked to take part in follow-up research projects. Data for participants who provide their written consent are linked to NHS health records to enable further analysis. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Further information on the survey methodology can be accessed on [the SHeS webpages.](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-health-survey/)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Revisions and corrections to previously published Scottish Health Survey data are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy on revisions and corrections. We undertake to publish any corrections to the published data as soon as they become available. Details of previous revisions are published on the [Scottish Health Survey webpage.](https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-health-survey/)

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Population Estimates Summary (Current Geographic Boundaries)

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Population Estimates Summary (Current Geographic Boundaries)

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Mid-year population estimates. Higher geographies are aggregated from 2011 Data Zones.

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Annual publication of mid-year population estimates by age and sex as at 30 June every year, where population for higher geographies is aggregated from the population estimates for 2011 Data Zones.

[Population estimates based on 2001 data zones](http://statistics.gov.scot/data/population-estimates-historical-geographic-boundaries) are also available, but are no longer updated. 

Data zones are the small area geography used by the Scottish Government to allow statistics to be available across a number of policy areas. Data zones were initially set up to nest within council area boundaries and to have a population of between 500 and 1,000 household residents. As much as possible, data zones were set up to contain households with similar social characteristics and to take into consideration physical boundaries. More information on data zone geography can be found on the [Scottish Government](http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2004/02/18917/33243) website. There are 6,976 data zones in Scotland.

Following the 2011 Census the Scottish Government completed a consultation on the redrawing of data zone boundary and finalised the new data zones. 2011 Data Zones were published at the end of 2014.
Intermediate zones are the statistical small geographical areas designed to contain a population of between 2,500 and 6,000 household residents. There are 1,235 intermediate zones in Scotland. [More information on intermediate zones](https://www.spatialdata.gov.scot/geonetwork/srv/api/records/389787c0-697d-4824-9ca9-9ce8cb79d6f5) can be found on the SpatialData.gov.scot Metadata Portal. 

This data is also available by single year of age on the NRS website.  These breakdowns are available for [Scotland and its council areas](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates), as well as for [2011 data zones](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/2011-based-special-area-population-estimates/small-area-population-estimates) and [other geographies](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/2011-based-special-area-population-estimates).

The NRS website has [more information on population statistics](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Population estimates are used for a variety of purposes including resource allocation and planning of services such as education and health. They are also used for calculating rates and performance measures, informing local and national policy, weighting surveys and in modelling the economy. In addition, population estimates at data zone level can be used as building blocks for a variety of different geographies that can inform planning, provision of services at sub-council area level and allocation of resources. They are used as the denominator to calculate many per capita rates and are available to use as the denominator in devising other rates a user might wish to create. The estimates are also important in a number of other applications, such as the development and maintenance of the Scottish Government’s Urban Rural Classification and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Population estimates are based on the 2011 Census and updated annually by 'ageing on' the population and applying information on births, deaths and migration.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The estimates refer to the population as at 30 June each year. The population estimates for Scotland, council areas and health board areas are usually published ten months after this date. The small area population estimates are usually published fourteen months after this date.

The dates of publications are preannounced on the [Future Publications](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/future-publications) section of the NRS website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
It is the policy of NRS to make its website and products accessible according to published guidelines. More information is available in the Accessibility section of the NRS website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
*Coherence* - Further information on the population estimates can be found in methodology sections on the National Records of Scotland (NRS) website for [Mid-year Population Estimates]( https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates) and [Small Area Population Estimates]( https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/2011-based-special-area-population-estimates/small-area-population-estimates).

*Comparability* - The statistics are designed to be consistent, and incorporate comparable historical data where appropriate. The small area estimates are consistent with the higher level mid-year estimates for council areas and for Scotland.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
This dataset does not contain any sensitive or personal information.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
The population estimates undergo quality assurance at each stage of production. NRS also have processes in place to quality assure the administrative sources used in the production of population estimates. Further information on the quality assurance of the population estimates can be found in the Mid-year Population Estimates [Methodology Guide](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates) on the National Records of Scotland (NRS) website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Population estimates are not subject to scheduled revision.

Revisions and corrections to previously published statistics are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available on the [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/producing-official-statistics/pages/revisions-and-corrections/) website.

In February 2019, we updated our methodology for allocating datazones to higher geographies to align with Government Statistical Service Geography Policy. This resulted in revisions to some aggregated figures at Electoral Ward and Scottish Parliament Constituency level.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Scottish Child Payment: Applications and Payments

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Scottish Child Payment: Applications and Payments

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Applications received and authorised, and number and total value of payments issued for Scottish Child Payment

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Scottish Child Payment has been introduced for low-income families with children aged under 6. It is intended to provide regular, additional financial support for families already in receipt of qualifying benefits to assist with the costs of caring for a child.

Social Security Scotland invited clients to apply from 9 November 2020 in advance of the benefit being launched on 15 February 2021 to help manage the expected demand. Applicants began to receive a decision from 15 February onwards, with the first payments made to clients from the end of February 2021.

Scottish Child Payment was extended to older children aged under 16 on 14 November 2022.

This dataset includes received applications, authorised applications and issued payments for Scottish Child Benefit. Statistics are provided for the last day of the month (e.g. figures for 2020-11 are for applications received or authorised as of 30 November 2020) and the financial year (e.g. figures for 2020/2021 are for applications received or authorised in between April 2020 and March 2021).

Further information on application, processing times, re-determinations and appeals can be found in the associated [publication](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/scottish-child-payment-high-level-statistics-to-31-december-2023).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Scottish Child Payment was introduced through secondary legislation, using the powers to top up a reserved benefit contained in section 79 of the Social Security Scotland Act 2018.

Social Security Scotland – the executive agency of Scottish Government responsible for delivering social security benefits for Scotland – began taking applications for Scottish Child Payment on 9 November 2020, following an announcement by the then Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People that the benefit would be open for applications in advance of its official launch on 15 February 2021 to help manage the expected demand.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
1) Rounding and disclosure control

Application and outcome figures have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five applications.

2) Missing and duplicate applications

The data comes from 100% data cut of the case management system. 

The data cut was checked for applications where the field relating to application date was blank. These applications represent temporary ‘prospect cases’, which are created when clients contact Social Security Scotland without a National Insurance number, and are later replaced once a National Insurance number is received from the applicant. Any such applications are therefore duplicates and are excluded from the statistics.

3) Incorrect application dates

Quality assurance checks highlighted that a small number of cases (50) had an application date prior to the benefit opening for applications on 9 November 2020. These cases were confirmed by operational colleagues to be genuine applications with an application date entered in error. For the purpose of this publication these cases have been reported as having been received in the month of November 2020.

4) Authorisation and Payment
To manage the anticipated demand, Scottish Child Payment opened for applications from 9 November 2020, ahead of its official launch on 15 February 2021. Anyone applying for Scottish Child Payment in this application window was made aware that they would not receive a decision until after 15 February 2021, and that the first payments would be made to clients from the end of February 2021 onwards.

Throughout the application window, client advisors began processing applications subject to an eligibility check on 15 February. The outcomes of all applications processed during this time were temporary and subject to change until the benefit officially launched and a final check was carried out to establish the entitlement for each case.

If a client advisor assessed an application and processed it as approved – subject to an automatic eligibility check on 15 February – then the month of decision would reflect the month the client advisor originally processed the application. This is why there are applications attributed to the months before the official launch of the benefit within this dataset.

If a client advisor assessed an application as a denial – subject to the final check on 15 February – then the application was flagged but not processed. Due to the design of Social Security Scotland’s case management system, these applications had to be formally denied on or after the 15 February to avoid denial letters being issued to clients before the final eligibility check had taken place. This is why there are no processed denials in the months before the official launch of the benefit.

For all applications, the date that applications were processed by client advisors is the date used to produce statistics of processed applications by month. After applications are authorised for payment by client advisors, the decision is approved by a manager, and then a payment is issued. In some cases, payments will be issued on the same day that payments are authorised by client advisors, however in other cases there can be a delay before payments are issued. Clients should receive money in their nominated account within four working days after payment is issued. 

In this publication, we report on the value of payments that have been issued by the end of each month and not the payments successfully received by the applicants.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
These statistics are updated every 3 months. These updates coincide with our quarterly publications on Scottish Child Payment. These can be found at the [Social Security Scotland website](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics/statistics-collections) 

Data are collected, validated and published in as timely a manner as possible in accordance with the Statistics Code of Practice. Data are published quarterly and can be found on the Social Security Scotland website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
The Scottish Child Payment is the first benefit of its kind in the UK, therefore there are no comparable statistics.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. 

Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five applications.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
The data used to produce these statistics are extracted from the Social Security case management system. Extracts from this system are also used on a daily basis for internal reporting within Social Security Scotland. As such, the data is checked daily for consistency with previous extracts (i.e. do applications, decisions and payments figures increase as expected over time, and are they in proportion to each other) and compared to other sources of information such as the number of payment instructions reported by the finance team.

Quality assurance and cleaning has been carried out on the variables used in the official statistics:

* Checking for duplicate and missing application references
* Checking application dates, processing times and payment times are within the expected ranges
* Check applicant dates of birth are within the expected range
* Check that payment date is present where a payment value is present 
* Checking postcodes that do not match to local authorities 

Once the data is aggregated and copied into the publication and supporting Excel tables, the final statistics are quality assured by a different member of the statistics team.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label[].@value
Child Disability Payment: Applications and Payments

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/title[].@value
Child Disability Payment: Applications and Payments

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Applications received and authorised, and total value of payments for Child Disability Payment

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Child Disability Payment is the replacement of the Disability Living Allowance for Children in Scotland, which was previously delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions. It is the first application-based disability benefit to be introduced by the Scottish Government and is administered by Social Security Scotland. It provides money to help with the extra care and mobility costs that a child living with a disability might have. 

From the 26 July 2021, new applications were taken for Child Disability Payment for children under 16 that live in the pilot areas of Dundee City, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Perth and Kinross. On 22 November 2021, Child Disability Payment launched nationwide to all new applicants living in Scotland. The case transfer process, where individual ongoing awards of Disability Living Allowance for Children are replaced by an award of Child Disability Payment, began on 11 October 2021.

This dataset includes received applications, authorised applications and issued payments for Child Disability Payment. Statistics are provided for the last day of the month.

Further information on new applications and clients who have had their awards transferred, award types, processing times and re-determinations can be found in the associated [publication](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The Scotland Act 2016 devolved new powers to the Scottish Parliament in relation to social security, including responsibility for disabled benefits which had been administered to Scottish claimants by the Department for Work and Pensions. On 1st April 2020, executive competency for Disability Living Allowance was transferred to Scottish Government. There is a transitional period to allow administration of these benefits to be transferred, during which the Department for Work and Pensions will continue to administer Disability Living Allowance for Children on Social Security Scotland’s behalf. 
The Child Disability Payment pilot launched on the 26 July for new applicants living in Dundee City, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Perth and Kinross. On 22 November, Child Disability Payment launched nationwide to all new applicants living in Scotland. The case transfer process, where individual ongoing awards of Disability Living Allowance for Children are replaced by an award of Child Disability Payment, began on 11 October 2021.
 
Further details about the benefit can be found on the [Scottish Government website](https://www.mygov.scot/child-disability-payment).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
1) Rounding and disclosure control

Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for applications received and authorised. The total value of payments has been rounded to the nearest ten pounds. This is for disclosure control. Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five applications.

2) Missing and duplicate applications

The data comes from 100% data cut of the case management system. 

The data cut was checked for applications where the applicant was missing a National Insurance number. A small number of these were found and represented temporary ‘prospect cases’, which are created when clients contact Social Security Scotland without a National Insurance number, and are later replaced once a National Insurance number is received from the applicant. Any such applications are therefore duplicates and are excluded from the statistics.

3) Authorisation and Payment
For all applications, the date that applications were processed by client advisors is the date used to produce statistics of processed applications by month. After applications are authorised for payment by client advisors, the decision is approved by a manager, and then a payment is issued. In some cases, payments will be issued on the same day that payments are authorised by client advisors, however in other cases there can be a delay before payments are issued. Clients should receive money in their nominated account within four working days after payment is issued. 
In this publication, we report on the total value of payments that have been issued by the end of each month and not the payments successfully received by the applicants.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
These statistics are updated every 3 months. These updates coincide with our quarterly publications on Child Disability Payment. These can be found at the [Social Security Scotland website](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics) 

Data are collected, validated and published in as timely a manner as possible in accordance with the Statistics Code of Practice. Data are published quarterly and can be found on the Scottish Government website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
Further information on new applications and clients who have had their awards transferred, award types, processing times, re-determinations and caseload can be found in the associated [publication](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics).

The application stage for Child Disability Payment involves a two part application process. The part 1 form gathers key personal details of the client. The impact of the client’s disability is detailed in part 2 of the application form. The exception to this is for applicants applying under the special rules for terminal illness, where there is only one part to the application, to make the process simpler and quicker. The number of new applications received is referring to the number of part 1 applications received. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for applications received and authorised. The total value of payments has been rounded to the nearest ten pounds. This is for disclosure control. 

Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five applications.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
The data used to produce these statistics are extracted from the Social Security case management system. Extracts from this system are also used on a daily basis for internal reporting within Social Security Scotland. As such, the data is checked daily for consistency with previous extracts (i.e. do applications, decisions and payments figures increase as expected over time, and are they in proportion to each other) and compared to other sources of information such as the number of payment instructions reported by the finance team.

Quality assurance and cleaning has been carried out on the variables used in the official statistics:

* Checking for duplicate and missing application references
* Checking application dates, processing times and payment times are within the expected ranges
* Check applicant dates of birth are within the expected range
* Check that payment date is present where a payment value is present 
* Checking postcodes that do not match to local authorities 

Once the data is aggregated and copied into the publication and supporting Excel tables, the final statistics are quality assured by a different member of the statistics team.

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
Number and rate (per 10,000 adults) of VAT/PAYE registered stocks and sites operating in Scotland.

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Estimates about the number of VAT/PAYE registered businesses (stocks) and sites operating in Scotland, broken down by various groupings including industry sector, business size, local authority area, intermediate zone areas, and locality are produced by Scottish Government within the Businesses in Scotland publication.  The Businesses in Scotland publication data are largely sourced from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR).  The IDBR is maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and is a database of all registered businesses operating in the UK i.e. businesses that are registered for VAT and/or PAYE.

Statistics from the Businesses in Scotland publication are used to provide insight into the characteristics of Scotland’s business stock, and how Scotland’s business stock has changed over time.

The estimates also include information about business employment and turnover (£ millions). The function of these data is to act as ‘auxiliary variables’ that can be used to (i) classify businesses by employee/turnover size band and (ii) calculate shares of employment and turnover across industrial sectors, local areas, business sizes etc. The nature of the underlying processes used to update these variables on the IDBR means that direct comparisons made using the absolute values are less reliable. Note the estimates do not include turnover information for financial and insurance businesses as it is not available on a comparable basis.

A business (business stock) can be defined as the smallest combination of legal units (generally based on VAT and/or PAYE records) that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. Note a business carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. Businesses are counted only once in Scotland-level estimates or once each in each of the geographical areas.

A local unit (business site) is a business or part thereof (e.g. a workshop, factory, warehouse, office, mine or depot) situated in a geographically identified place.

The estimates also include unregistered businesses. A large number of very small businesses are not VAT/PAYE registered because they are small sole traders/partnerships with no employees and an annual turnover of less than the VAT threshold. The estimates for unregistered businesses are estimated primarily using data from the Labour Force Survey, which is subject to sampling error – this should be considered when making year on year comparisons between the number of unregistered businesses.

The estimates also include two National Indicators: “The number of businesses” and “High growth businesses”. The registered business stock rate, the total stock of private sector registered businesses per 10,000 resident adults in Scotland, is the basis of the Scotland Performs National Indicator: “The number of businesses”. The high growth business stock count is the basis of the Scotland Performs National Indicator: “High growth businesses”. We defined a high growth business as a business with 10+ employees in the base year (x - 3) exhibiting an average of 20% growth over three years in terms of turnover.  In practice, average annualised growth of 20% per annum over three years would be equal to 72.8% growth from year x - 3 to year x.

More detailed information can be found on the [Businesses in Scotland]( https://www.gov.scot/publications/businesses-in-scotland-2022/) website.

The population estimates used to form the rates are sourced from the [Mid-Year Population Estimates]( https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates), published by the National Records of Scotland.  The term “per 10,000 adults” is defined as people aged 16 or over resident in Scotland.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Businesses in Scotland data is produced from an extract taken from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) recording the position of units at March of the reference year. However, prior to 2005, the extract recording the position of units at November of the reference year was taken instead.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
It is the aim to publish statistics on business stocks and sites for Scotland, Scottish Local Authority Areas, and other geographical dimensions as soon as possible after the release of the Scottish Government’s Businesses in Scotland publication, which is published each year in early November.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
For other tables, commentary and more methodology please see the [Businesses in Scotland – Methodology]( https://www.gov.scot/publications/businesses-in-scotland-2022/documents/) website.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
Data can be compared between different industries, legal status, local authority areas and to look at trends over time. Note “Registered – Private Sector” in the legal status refers to all businesses that are not defined as Central and Local government. Also, employee sizeband type (Scotland or UK) refers to the number of employees that the business employs in Scotland only or across the UK.

For comparisons with other UK regions, business stock estimates for the UK and all regions of the UK (including Scotland) are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).  A key difference between the UK series for Scotland and the Businesses in Scotland publication estimates is that Businesses in Scotland data includes all businesses that operate in Scotland regardless of where the business is based.  There are other differences between the publications, and for these please see [Businesses in Scotland – Methodology]( https://www.gov.scot/publications/businesses-in-scotland-2022/documents/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Any cell which is blank contains confidential data. This is data which has been withheld from publication in order that no information relating to an individual business is disclosed. Caution should therefore be exercised if summary data is calculated; it may include blank cells in which case it will not be a true representation of industry or area totals.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
In general, the figures for registered businesses should be final and should not be revised in future, since they are based on a snapshot in time from the IDBR which cannot change. However sometimes, when quality assuring the data for the latest year, errors in terms of the industry classification applied to businesses may come to light in which case we may correct the erroneous business classifications in previous years.

Revisions to previously published population estimates are generally planned, although there can be occasions when they are unplanned, and are the result of either improvements in statistical methods or the availability of additional data. Corrections are unplanned and may occur when errors in either the statistical data or methodology are found after release of the data. For the list of all population estimates that have recently been revised or corrected, please visit the National Records of Scotland’s [Revisions and Corrections]( https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/about-our-statistics/revisions-and-corrections).

# [].http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#comment[].@value
The number of children actively benefitting from Scottish Child Payment at a specific point in time (caseload).

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
Scottish Child Payment has been introduced for low-income families with children and young people aged under 16. It is intended to provide regular, additional financial support for families already in receipt of qualifying benefits to assist with the costs of caring for a child. 

This dataset includes the number of children actively benefitting (caseload) from Scottish Child Payment. Statistics are provided for the last day of the calendar quarter, e.g. figures for 2023-09 are for the number of children actively benefitting from Scottish Child Payment as of 30 September 2023.

In order to accurately reflect the active caseload for Scottish Child Payment, it is important to take into account the flows in both directions, i.e. include any new clients (parents or carers) and children who are receiving the benefit, and exclude those who are no longer eligible.

The methodology uses a caseload data extract containing live information on client’s and children’s eligibility, which makes it possible to identify all clients (and, in turn, children) who are in receipt of, or have been approved for a payment as of the latest reporting point in time, even if they have not been paid yet. This data extract can be used to produce breakdowns of the total caseload counts e.g. by age of child, or by local authority area.

The age of child that is used in this table is based on the age the child would be on a specific point in time, e.g. figures for 2023-09 shows the age the child would be on 30 September 2023.

Data on the number of received applications, authorised applications, and the number and value of issued payments for the Scottish Child Payment benefit are also available in [a separate dataset]( https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fscottish-child-payment-applications-and-payments). 

Further information on the Scottish Child Payment statistics can be found in the associated [publication]( https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/scottish-child-payment-high-level-statistics-to-31-december-2023).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
Scottish Child Payment was introduced through secondary legislation, using the powers to top up a reserved benefit contained in section 79 of the Social Security Scotland Act 2018.

Social Security Scotland – the executive agency of Scottish Government responsible for delivering social security benefits for Scotland – began taking applications for Scottish Child Payment on 9 November 2020, following an announcement by the then Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People that the benefit would be open for applications in advance of its official launch on 15 February 2021 to help manage the expected demand.

Further details about the benefit can be found on the [Scottish Government website](https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
The methodology for figures on the number of children actively benefitting from Scottish Child Payment is broadly outlined below: 

1) The client is actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment as of the latest reporting period if their case remains active, and has any payment issued in the last 28 days to the latest caseload period. Additionally, if there is no payment issued because the case has only recently been approved, then the client would be deemed to be actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment as long as the activation date is within the 7-day period to the latest reporting point in time.

2) The child is deemed to be actively benefitting from Scottish Child Payment if their parent or carer (client) is in receipt of Scottish Child Payment and their eligibility remains valid for Scottish Child Payment (including the age criteria).

There are however a few limitations with this methodology:

1) The caseload data extract is a snapshot of live information on both client’s and children’s eligibility. Consequently, as new payment cases for clients have been established once their applications are approved, or Change of Circumstance forms were submitted from existing clients, this can retrospectively add more children or update the existing information we hold on them. Thus, applying this methodology to caseload data extracts obtained at different points in time would yield different caseload counts for the same point in time. 

2) In related to the limitation mentioned above, although a client may be identified as ‘active’, this does not necessarily mean all children this client is responsible for are actively benefitting from Scottish Child Payment at the latest reported point in time. It is possible that some of the children are no longer eligible if, for example, they have turned 16. Similarly, it is possible for some children to be approved for the benefit shortly after the reported point in time – and while the client would receive payments in arrears for these children, these children won’t have actively benefitted as of the latest reported point in time.

As a result, for each Scottish Child Payment publication this methodology will be applied to calculate a caseload count for the latest reported point in time only i.e. no retrospective revisions to previous counts will be made unless a methodological error is discovered. For example, in the publication ‘Scottish Child Payment: high level statistics to 30 September 2023’, the snapshot taken on 1 November 2023 was used to report the caseload count as of 30 September 2023, but was not used to update the caseload count for previous reporting periods (30 June 2023 etc.)

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
These statistics are updated every three months. These updates coincide with our quarterly publications on Scottish Child Payment. These can be found at the [Social Security Scotland website]( https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics/statistics-collections)

Data are collected, validated and published in as timely a manner as possible in accordance with the Statistics Code of Practice.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
The Scottish Child Payment is the first benefit of its kind in the UK, therefore there are no comparable statistics.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for statistical disclosure control. Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five children.

Any cell in this dataset which is blank contains suppressed data. Therefore, caution should be exercised if summary data is calculated; it may include blank cells in which it will not be a true representation of geographical area totals.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
The data used to produce these statistics are extracted from the Social Security case management system. Extracts from this system are also used on a daily basis for internal reporting within Social Security Scotland. As such, the data is checked routinely for consistency with previous extracts (i.e. do applications, decisions, payments and caseload figures increase as expected over time, and are they in proportion to each other) and compared to other sources of information such as the number of payment instructions reported by the finance team.

Quality assurance and cleaning has been carried out on the variables used in the official statistics:

* Checking for duplicate and missing application references
* Checking application dates, processing times and payment times are within the expected ranges
* Check dates of birth for applicants and their children are within the expected range
* Check that payment date is present where a payment value is present 
* Checking postcodes that do not match to local authorities 

Once the data is aggregated and copied into the publication and supporting Excel tables, the final statistics are quality assured by a different member of the statistics team.

The geographical area (e.g. Intermediate Zone 2011 etc.) is based on clients’ postcode information, rather than their children. Some clients' postcode information cannot be matched to a Scottish geographical area because their postcode is not on the lookup file used to match postcode to geographical area. These may be applications or change-of-circumstances forms from people living in properties that are too new to be on the lookup file. Furthermore, clients have been assigned as being non-Scottish if their postcode cannot be matched to a Scottish geographical area using a postcode lookup file, and where the application or change-of-circumstances form is also from a non-Scottish postcode area. Consequently, those children with unknown geographical area are excluded from this dataset. The impact of this exclusion is minimal as those children account for less than 0.2% of all children actively benefitting from Scottish Child Payment.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
In general, the caseload figures for each Scottish Child Payment publication should be final, and no retrospective revisions to previous figures will be made unless a methodological error is discovered.

Revisions and corrections to previously published statistics are dealt with in accordance with the [Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections](https://www.gov.scot/publications/producing-official-statistics/pages/revisions-and-corrections/).

# [].http://purl.org/dc/terms/description[].@value
The Scottish Government produces a National Statistics publication, Export Statistics Scotland, which estimates the nominal value of Scottish exports (excluding oil and gas) at sector level. It includes estimates for goods and service exports and is the only source of estimates for exports from Scotland to the rest of the UK.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/relevance[].@value
The data are of interest to government policy makers, politicians, the business community, economic commentators, academics and members of the general public with an interest in the Scottish economy.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accuracy-and-[].@value
Export Statistics Scotland is a National Statistic, certified by the UK Statistics Authority as compliant with its [Code of Practice for Official Statistics](https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/).

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/timeliness-an[].@value
The publication is normally released in January in each year. However the ESS 2019 publication was delayed due to the postponement of the 2019 Global Connections Survey (GCS), which is one of the key sources for this data. This was done in recognition of the challenges and pressures faced by businesses in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic and preparing for EU exit. This has impacted the timing of subsequent publications. To reduce the delay, ESS 2020 and 2021 were published together for the first time.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/accessibility[].@value
These statistics are published in the [Export Statistics Scotland](https://www.gov.scot/publications/exports-statistics-scotland-2021/) National Statistics publication. The data is published in Excel format and is also available as an accessible html publication.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/comparability[].@value
There is no UK survey which compares exactly with Export Statistics Scotland. The [methodology note of the ESS publication](https://www.gov.scot/publications/export-statistics-scotland-methodology/pages/other-sources-of-trade-data/) provides charts and commentary comparing Export Statistics Scotland export estimates with other UK and Scottish sources.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/confidentiali[].@value
Company specific details and any data from which it might be possible to identify individual companies will not be published. 

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/quality-manag[].@value
Following the collection of data on exports, the data are cleaned and quality assured by Scottish Government statisticians. Outputs are subject to rigorous quality assurance and where possible other sources are used to review figures.

# [].http://statistics.gov.scot/def/statistical-quality/revisions[].@value
Estimates for previous years are revised from those published in the previous year and are largely due to new information being provided by companies. The most recent results are provisional, and are likely to be revised in the future when improved information becomes available.

Additionally there has been a methodology change from previous ESS publications, meaning there is a break in the time series. As a result this data is not comparable with previous publications of Exports Statistics Scotland. The current time series presented is for 2019-2021, and the estimates for 2019 have been revised from those presented in the ESS 2019 publication.