§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
How much it would cost each of the Scottish water authorities to implement customer service systems and standards comparable to the industry average in England and Wales. [HL842]
35WA
§ Lord SewelA detailed comparison of the costs of the systems in Scotland and England and Wales could be undertaken only at excessive cost.
§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Scottish water authorities will offer their customers the same minimum guaranteed service standards offered by the industry in England and Wales. [HL843]
§ Lord SewelScottish Water and Sewerage Customers Council is responsible for agreeing with Scottish water authorities their codes of practice for service to customers.
§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the three Scottish water authorities expect to progress to self billing. [HL844]
§ Lord SewelThe policy on billing of water and sewerage charges is a matter for the water authorities. None of them have set a date for sending bills to domestic customers directly from the authority itself. However some non-domestic customers are billed in this way.
§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which of the three Scottish water authorities they regard as the most cost effective for its customers in the provision of water services. [HL845]
§ Lord SewelThe three Scottish water authorities operate in very different circumstances, and it is therefore difficult to make valid comparisons of cost-effectiveness which take full account of factors such as geographical situation and quality of outputs.
§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
For each of the three water authorities in Scotland, what are its unit costs per cubic metre for (a) water delivered and (b) sewage collected and treated, distinguishing in each case between (i) the cost of operation; (ii) capital maintenance; and (iii) return on capital. [HL841]
§ Lord SewelThe figures in the following tables show the water authorities' apportionment of their total costs to give gross unit costs for water supply and sewerage services in 1996–97. For each service the costs are split into operating costs, capital maintenance and interest charges. Some of the apportionment of costs is provisional, and there may be inconsistencies in the assumptions behind the apportionment of costs by the three authorities. These figures take no account of the different geographical operating conditions of the three authorities.
36WAThe water authorities have reported their gross unit costs for water supply as:
Operating costs (pence/m3) Capital maintenance (pence/m3) Interest (pence/m3) North of Scotland Water 33 10 15 East of Scotland Water 28 12 12 West of Scotland Water 27 12 11 The water authorities have reported their gross unit costs for sewerage services:
Operating costs (pence/m3) Capital maintenance (pence/m3) Interest (pence/m3) North of Scotland Water 26 6 10 East of Scotland Water 24 8 11 West of Scotland Water 23 5 13