Due to a significant and sustained increase in demand for our service, there is a delay of up to 20 weeks in allocating some complaints to a Complaints Reviewer.
Not all complaints are affected. We actively prioritise cases where the person affected is vulnerable, the matter is urgent and ongoing, or there is significant public interest. We will keep those affected by delays informed.
If a complaint is not one we can look into, we will tell you as soon as we can.
We ask people to tell us if their circumstances change so that we can review the priority. Likewise, if their circumstances change and they no longer wish to pursue a complaint, please let us know.
There are no delays in allocating reviews for the Scottish Welfare Fund or the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer.
Please see below for further details.
Why are cases taking longer than before?
We are seeing significant year-on-year increases in public service complaints and high demand for our service.
In 2023-24, the number of public service complaints we received increased by 33% compared to the previous year.
In 2024-25, we saw a further 7% increase on the year before.
Demand remains high into 2025-26. Based on provisional in-year data, by the end of Quarter 3 (end of December 2025), we had received 31% more public service complaints than at the same point last year and 58% more than our pre-Covid baseline year of 2019-20.
We are working hard to ensure we have the resources we need to deal with this increase in demand. However, allocation times for some non‑priority complaints may continue to increase. We will update this page if timescales change.
Please be assured, we continue to manage this demand carefully.
What happens when the SPSO receives a complaint?
We assess each complaint to identify whether it should be prioritised for consideration, or whether it can be resolved or handled quickly.
We prioritise cases where the complainant (or person affected) is vulnerable, the matter is urgent and ongoing, or where there is a significant public interest.
We recognise that not all cases can be prioritised or addressed quickly, and these are held until they can be allocated.
We inform people about the delays and encourage them to contact us if they think their complaint should be given priority or their circumstances change.
We are continuously working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services we provide.
In 2024-25, we increased our complaints output by 12% year-on-year and closed more cases than we received. Into 2025-26, by the end of Quarter 3, based on provisional in-year data, we have increased our productivity by 14% against the same period for the previous year.
We will continue to focus on resolving cases as quickly as possible to help bring waiting times down.
More information about our performance can be found in our Annual Report and Accounts.