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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Question reference: S6W-40917

  • Date lodged: 7 October 2025
  • Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2025

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes when its corporate devices, including laptops and mobile phones, reach the end of their business needs and are no longer required by it, and how they are routinely disposed of, including whether it allows any of these devices to be reused subsequently outside of its supervision and, if so, (a) under what circumstances, (b) what information it has regarding how many devices in each of the last five years, have been repurposed and (i) by whom and (ii) for what reason, broken down by type of device, and (c) what action it takes to ensure that these devices cannot be compromised and no longer hold confidential or sensitive information, and how it monitors the effectiveness of this.


Answer

When corporate devices are no longer required for operational use, we follow a structured and secure disposal process to ensure data protection and environmental compliance. This includes:

  • Assessment: Devices are reviewed to determine whether they are eligible for redeployment, reuse, or disposal.
  • Data Sanitisation: All devices are securely wiped using industry-leading data erasure software that complies with internationally recognised standards, and UK-specific requirements such as GDPR and NCSC (National Cyber Security Council) guidance. This process ensures that all data is permanently and irreversibly removed from the device, with tamper-proof erasure certificates generated for audit and compliance purposes.

Reused or Recycled: Devices not fit for redeployment are either reused or recycled. Reused devices may be sold through approved channels or donated to approved third-sector organisations. Devices offered for sale are sold at auction by a contracted supplier. The specifics of each purchaser are not tracked. Donated devices are provided to third-sector organisations for continued use where possible, although supply chain constrictions following COVID-19 have interrupted donations in some years.

Remaining devices are recycled through certified e-waste partners. As noted above, whether resold, donated, or recycled devices are only ever disposed of after being fully wiped of all data.

The following table gives a breakdown of laptop and desktop devices disposed of since 2020. The first column displays the year while the next two differentiate between laptop and desktop devices. The remaining columns show the total number of both device types either resold, recycled, or donated. The donated column also indicates the recipients of devices for that year.

All mobile phones returned for disposal are not eligible for reuse, therefore no data is available.

Year

Laptops

Desktops

Resold

Recycled

Donated

2020

1,097

2,638

2,638

118

979 Turing Trust

2021

161

0

161

0

0

2022

1,731

73

1,191

13

250 Edinburgh Remakery

250 Turing Trust
100 HP Hope Scheme

2023

2,705

275

2,934

46

0

2024

1,868

286

1,843

111

200 Turing Trust

2025

2,531

93

1,958

566

100 HP Hope Scheme