Chamber and committees

If you have online communication with service users but they do not get back to you—if they are part way through giving information but just drop off the radar a little—what do you do?

There is clearly not an issue currently, so I am sorry for pushing on something that might not be an issue, but what does “follow up” mean? If such circumstances arose, what would that look like?

So it would be a matter of picking up the phone and speaking to the service user or contacting Social Security Scotland to find out whether there is something else going on.

I sometimes think that organisations cannot win. Erica Young from Citizens Advice Scotland was an excellent witness and made some really good points. She said that

“people get an overwhelming amount of paperwork”.—[Official Report, Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 28 March 2024; c 16.]

She also said, in her written submission, that communications from the tribunals service can be “vague and sparse”. So people can be overwhelmed with information and paperwork, but the information might be sparse at some level. It must be really difficult to get the balance right, for both the tribunals service and Social Security Scotland, so that they do not overwhelm people with information but ensure that they are suitably informed. How do those organisations get that balance right?

I am not trying to create an issue that does not exist, and the portal sounds like an excellent idea. By definition, however, there could be lots of information in the portal and it is a matter of navigating through it. Is assistance available for that? Once you publicise the portal a bit more, how would you support clients in navigating their way through it?

Good morning, everyone.

Technology is a wonderful thing—it got us through Covid-19, because it allowed us to continue to operate. There is a role for online platforms in dealing with clients, applicants, people who are appealing and so on. My question is for both organisations. To what extent do you use online platforms for various activities? A lot of people do not feel comfortable online. How do you support such people to be more comfortable and relaxed? What alternatives do you offer if it becomes evident that the online approach is not appropriate?

We will not start with Gayle Devlin on this occasion. Lesley or Tim—do you want to come in?

That is helpful. My final question might be rhetorical, or you can write back to the committee or update us at a future date. The portal sounds great, but when people are phoning up and asking for advice, details and information, the easy reply for busy staff might in the future be to say, “It’s all in the portal—just go to the portal.” You could lose a bit of human contact. I am not trying to create a problem that is not there, but it is self-evident that “It’s all in the portal” would be a pithy thing for a busy person on the telephone in an office to say in reply. Of course, the portal should be the first port of call, but it should not be the default over human contact.

I have a brief question. It was positive that you confirmed that the appellant can request telephone, videoconference or in-person meetings. Do you anticipate that there will be longer waits for an appellant who requests an in-person hearing? By definition, getting folk on the telephone or on the computer will be speedier than getting them all in the same venue. I appreciate that there may be a slightly longer wait for an in-person hearing, but I would like to make sure that it is not a prolonged wait. That could marshal people into making a choice that was not really what they would have wanted, just so that the matter can be disposed of more speedily. Can you give me any reassurance on that?

I appreciate that and that arranging an in-person sitting will take longer. It will be important to make sure that the appellant can make an informed choice and that you monitor how long it takes to get an in-person sitting. I do not think that we should have targets for targets’ sake, but, if the system is resourced appropriately, the wait should be reasonable and not prolonged. However, I suppose that, at the moment, it is just too early to work that out.

That is reasonable. Thank you.