Social Security Scotland regularly publishes information on levels of detected fraud in its Annual Report and Accounts. The most recent document covering the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 3 November 2021.

From 3 September 22018 until 17 November 2021, Social Security Scotland has detected internal fraud with an estimated value of £17,400. Throughout the same period, no overpayments of benefit have been classified as being due to client fraud. Benefit fraud cases are only recorded as such following conviction.

The information requested is not held centrally. Whilst the Scottish Government supports the use of Choice and Partnership Approach (CAPA), there is no requirement for NHS Boards to use it.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The list of companies set out in the privacy notice relate to the Vaccine Programme and the Covid Certification service as a whole, and not just the Covid Status App. So for example, Royal Mail are involved in posting printed certificates to individuals – they have no connection to the Covid Status App.

The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland take privacy and data security seriously. Robust measures have been put in place to ensure all systems and processes within the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Programme have been designed with these in mind.

As with most technology of this nature, it is necessary to share some very limited data to ensure services operate effectively. However, NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government have control of this data at all times, and service providers do not have access to the data they process.

The published privacy notice explains:

• the key organisations responsible for the data;
• how those organisations process personal information in relation to coronavirus vaccinations, exemptions and certificates;
• the rights in relation to privacy and personal data; and
• what data is shared with our trusted parties and the reason as per their role in the vaccination programme.

We will only share personal information when the law allows us to do so and to the minimum extent possible.

The following table provides reconviction rates for individuals aged 16 or over, who were released from custody in the stated year and then subsequently reconvicted by a court at least once during the specific follow up period. Reconvictions can be for similar or different types of crimes and offences, compared to the initial conviction.

With this type of cohort-based analysis, sufficient time is required to have passed before reconvictions can be measured. For example, in the latest cohort year available, 2018-19, the number presented in the table represents the proportion of individuals who were reconvicted at least once in 2019-20. Given this time lag, the table presents reconvictions for the four to five year period instead of over four years. When examining a reconviction rate at the four to five year period, the latest cohort year where this analysis can be conducted is 2014-15.

Table 1. Reconviction rates for individuals aged 16 or over released from custody, 2007-08 to 2018-19 cohorts .

There is a range of digital and non-digital routes available to access COVID-19 Status Certificates, and currently the choice to obtain a certificate is voluntary.

The data processing complies with data protection principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, security and accountability as per the Data Protection Act 2018. As the processing of data is necessary for the purposes indicated in the privacy notice , an opt out is not applicable.

Citizens Advice Scotland is the membership organisation for independent Citizens Advice Bureaux. At the time of writing, the Scottish Government is aware that there are 59 Bureaux, operating from 76 separate locations across Scotland. Information about historical Citizens Advice Bureaux can be obtained from Citizens Advice Scotland.

The following table outlines the funding provided directly by the Scottish Government to Citizens Advice Scotland between 2016-17 and 2021-22 (so far). It should be noted that the majority of this funding is granted to Citizens Advice Scotland for onward distribution to its member Bureaux.

The years 2016-17 and 2017-18 include funding provided to Citizens Advice Direct, which from 2018-19 ceased to be a member of Citizens Advice Scotland. It is now known as Advice Direct Scotland and is not funded via Citizens Advice Scotland.

Public Heath Scotland publish a weekly COVID-19 statistical report every Wednesday which includes this information.

As at 15 November 2021 the:

• COVID Status app had been downloaded over 1.5 million; and separately
• vaccination status letter has been requested in paper copies 478,014 times; and
• downloaded in PDF format over 1.2 million times.

A single user may choose to download the App or PDF on multiple devices, and may request a replacement of paper copies so it is not currently possible to identify the total number of people who have obtained proof overall.

In the course of establishing their local offices, Members enter directly into a private contract for their occupation of the premises with a landlord. The SPCB is not a party to Members’ contractual arrangements with their landlords.  This arrangement has the advantage that Members are free to choose premises that they consider suitable for their purpose within their own constituency or region. Provided that the rules of the Re-imbursement of Members’ Expenses Scheme are complied with, Members can recover the cost of the initial setting up and subsequent running of their local offices under the Scheme. 

Whether to have a local office or not and where that office is within the constituency or region they were elected to represent is a decision for each constituency MSP or through agreement of regional MSPs from the same party who are required to share an office under the Scheme. 

Members are free to enter into a lease, a licence to occupy or, for example, a shorter-term arrangement to occupy a unit which is part of larger premises. Each arrangement has advantages and disadvantages for a tenant. 

When a Member is contemplating acquiring a local office, they are strongly advised to seek their own legal advice in relation to any proposed arrangement in order to protect their own interests and to ensure they are fully aware of the obligations they are undertaking as they could, at some stage, no longer be eligible for recovery of their expenses and become personally liable for them.  The cost of such legal advice can be met from the Scheme.

In order to qualify for the re-imbursement of their expenses, Members must satisfy the SPCB that their private arrangements are clear in their terms and not ambiguous, are binding contractually on the Member claiming and do not constitute an unreasonable drain on the public purse for the period that the Member is able to recover those expenses under the Scheme.

Legal Services are the SPCB’s solicitors and are not authorised by the SPCB to provide legal advice on leases or other arrangements to Members.  Legal Services do, on behalf of the Allowances Office, ensure that Members’ arrangements allow them to recover their expenses under the Scheme, by checking that each arrangement sets out clearly an offer to let or occupy specified premises, the term for which the arrangement is to last, and the rent for the premises. Legal Services provide this service to assure the Allowances Office and the SPCB that public finance obligations are met.

The Allowances Office provide advice to Members on what a Member is able to claim under the Scheme and what is required by way of evidence of any expenditure to make a claim. For example, where a Member wishes to claim rent for an office a valid agreement binding them contractually to pay the rental costs would be required. 

No. If, and when, any additional functions are added to the NHS Scotland Covid Status App then the privacy information will be updated accordingly. For more detail on the current privacy information, I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-04212 and S6W-04213 on 25 November 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers