This data contains no sensitive, personal information.

The data used to produce the figures has been checked on a case by case basis with clerical records used for internal reporting within Social Security Scotland, and discrepancies investigated.

Additional quality assurance and cleaning has been carried out on specific variables:

• The dataset has been checked for duplicate records based on Case ID number.

• Variables have been checked for missing information.

• Feedback received dates and decisions dates have been checked to see whether they fall within expected ranges (e.g. after September 2018) and are consistent with those produced by clerical records.

• Feedback channels, reasons, benefits and outcomes have been checked for consistency with those produced by clerical records.

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 final documents are checked by the lead statistician.

• Rounding and disclosure control

Feedback numbers have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

• Comparison to clerical data

Data from the case management system has been compared to clerical records. Discrepancies have been investigated with the Client Experience team, and errors in case management system data have been manually fixed to match the clerical record where necessary. Discrepancies included:

• A small number of items of feedback received had a date before September 2018, or had the date of feedback being recorded rather than date received. There were also errors in date feedback was received and decisions were made on the case management system due to migration of feedback information onto the case management system during the first months following the launch of Carer’s Allowance Supplement. Dates have been amended back to the original dates received and decided with reference to the clerical records.

• Some feedback had discrepancies in channel, reason or outcome between the case management system and clerical records. Each of these cases have been investigated with the Client Experience team and corrected.

• Some feedback on the case management system is recorded as being not benefit specific. While this is true in some cases, in others this occurs where benefit information is missing. Missing benefit information has been completed with reference to clerical records.

• For the 2022/23 financial year, records that were missing from either the case management system or clerical records were investigated with the Client Experience Team. A small number of duplicate cases were also identified and checked with the Client Experience Team.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a different feedback process to Social Security Scotland, and as such, DWP compliments/suggestions statistics are not directly comparable to these statistics.

Suggestions are investigated and the outcome is provided directly to the client.

Datasets will be updated on statistics.gov.scot within one month of the date of the publication.

The publications are available on the Scottish Government website

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.