Self Employed Support During COVID - Freedom of information requests

Title or Description: Self Employed Support During COVID
FOI Number: 15921
Date Received: 17/12/2021
Type of Request: FOI
Request or Question: Please can you provide information on the following questions regarding access to the Self-Isolation Support Grant in the local authority of Scottish Borders Council during the Covid pandemic. All questions refer to the time period between March 2020 and up to the latest available data.
1. How many individuals have applied for the Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500? Please include a month-by-month breakdown.
2. How many of those applications were made by self-employed people?
3. How many of applications made by self-employed people automatically received the payment due to being on existing benefit schemes such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Working Tax Credits, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, and Housing Benefit?
4. How many self-employed people who were not on benefits received the Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500?
5. How many applications for the Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500 made by self-employed people were rejected and what were the top three reasons for rejection in these circumstances.
6. What was the total expenditure on Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500 made for self-employed people?
Response: Applications submitted
Oct-20  3
Nov-20  14
Dec-20  44
Jan-21  128
Feb-21  24
Mar-21  33
Apr-21  5
May-21  17
Jun-21  164
Jul-21  289
Aug-21  241
Sep-21  224
Oct-21  131
Nov-21  144
Dec-21  246
  1707
For questions 2 to 6, we do not specifically detail self-employed cases within our existing management reports. Although we do gather this information as part of the application process, we would have to manually view each case to collate this information. The cost of manually checking every application would exceed the prescribed limits and therefore this part of your request is refused under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act Scotland 2002.