How long will you take to decide on my complaint?

We carefully consider all complaints that we receive. See How the SPSO considers complaints for more information about this. How long this takes will vary from case to case but the following are general guidelines.  You can find more information about timescales in our section about Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

If after initial consideration it is clear that your complaint is one we can’t investigate we will try to tell you so within two weeks of receiving it. Otherwise, your complaint will receive further consideration and we will aim to tell you the outcome of that within 14 weeks of receiving the complaint.

If we then decide to move onto an investigation, leading to a report which will be laid before the Scottish Parliament, we will explain to you and the organisation complained against exactly what we are investigating.  On average, investigations take between six and eleven months.  The administrative process of drafting, finalising and laying a report before the Parliament can in itself take several weeks. Nevertheless, wherever possible we aim to complete investigations within one year of receiving a complaint.  We will always keep you informed of what is happening.   See our Our Service Standards for more information.