Who does what in the Water Industry in Scotland?
Below is a guide to the main bodies involved in the Scottish Water industry.
Scottish Government
Scottish Ministers and their officials manage the relationship with Scottish Water and its regulators within the statutory framework established by the Scottish Parliament. Scottish Ministers set the objectives for the industry and the principles that should underpin charges.
Provides clean safe drinking water to 2.2 million households and 130,000 business customers in Scotland. Every day it supplies 2.3 billion litres of treated drinking water and takes away nearly one billion litres of waste water from customers' properties and treats it carefully before returning it safely to the environment.
The Commission's statutory task is to determine price limits for Scottish Water based on the lowest reasonable cost of achieving Ministerial objectives for the water industry. In November 2005, the Commission determined price limits for water and sewerage services for the current regulatory control period 2006/07 to 2009/10.
This is the collective name for the organisation comprising the Convener of Scottish Water Customer Consultation Panels and his 5 regional panels set up to represent the interests of Scottish Water's customers, to investigate customer complaints and to report on customer issues.
The DWQR is responsible for monitoring and confirming that the drinking water supplied by Scottish Water through the public water mains system meets the requirements of the drinking water quality regulations and is safe to drink. DWQR also advises Ministers on the delivery of and the need for future investment in drinking water quality.
SEPA is responsible for monitoring Scottish Water's discharges to ensure they meet environmental requirements. SEPA also advises Ministers on the delivery of and the need for future investment in environmental improvements.