- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Financial Transactions money will be in the 2021-22 Budget, and where it will be deployed.
Answer
The Scottish Government received £620m in Financial Transactions (FTs) from HM Treasury in 2020-21. In the UK Spending Review on 25 November Scotland was allocated £208m in FTs for 2021-22, a fall of 66.5%.
The detail of the deployment of FTs in 2021-22 will be set out in the Scottish Budget, which is due for publication on 28 January 2021.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 12 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the role of the Water Industry Commission is in monitoring and regulating any anti-competitive arrangements within the competitive water market in Scotland.
Answer
The Commission does not have concurrent competition law powers. The Commission’s remit extends to securing the participation of licensed providers in an orderly manner and in a manner that is not detrimental to Scottish Water’s core business.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the final determination of charges by the Water Industry Commission, what assumptions have been made about cash balances held by Scottish Water at the end of 2020-21, and how those assumptions compare with the outcome set in the 2015-21 final determination.
Answer
Scottish Water set out in their 2020 Delivery Plan update that they expected the outturn cash level to be within a range of £120 million to £200 million on conclusion of the SR15 investment delivery. During 2020 their costs and revenues have been significantly impacted by Covid-19 both in the day to day operations and in their investment programme. Scottish Water will provide an update on the forecast costs of Covid-19 and the impact on cash balances on the conclusion of the SR15 regulatory period in their 2021 Delivery Plan which will be published in March. This compares to the 2015-21 final determination assumption of a closing cash balance of £40m.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the final determination of charges by the Water Industry Commission, what its position is on whether 11 responses to the consultation on the draft determination can be considered a success.
Answer
This is a matter for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, and I have asked them to respond directly in writing to your question.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the final determination of charges by the Water Industry Commission and its indication that it plans to continue with international work, what its position is on whether it is appropriate that the commission permits the use of air travel rewards from such business travel for personal gain, and how this permission compares with advice to civil servants.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30852 on 10 August 2020. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31954 by Roseanna Cunningham on 30 October 2020, whether Scottish business customers are insulated from the costs of any trading losses incurred by Business Stream from its trading activities in England.
Answer
The performance of Business Stream in England will have no impact on the wholesale charges levied on Licensed Providers in the Scottish retail market. It is for Licensed Providers to determine the charges that should be levied on their customers but within the constraints of a highly competitive market. WICS also requires Scottish Water under the Governance Code to demonstrate that there is no detriment to Scottish customers from the activities of Business Stream.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30856 by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 August 2020 and the publication of the final determination of water charges by the Water Industry Commission, how the figure of £1.5 million quoted as a benefit from international work was calculated.
Answer
This is a matter for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, and I have asked them to respond directly in writing to your question.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the final determination of charges by the Water Industry Commission, whether it can confirm that the water charge cap envisaged will need to rise by more than 2% annually above the rate of inflation if any flexibility in charges to reflect the economic circumstances on customers of the COVID-19 pandemic are utilised in 2021-22 and any subsequent years.
Answer
This is a matter for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, and I have asked them to respond directly in writing to your question.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the final determination of charges by the Water Industry Commission, where customers can find the performance measures that Scottish Water is expected to meet over the 2021-27 period that have been previously set out in a final determination.
Answer
This is a matter for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, and I have asked them to respond directly in writing to your question.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the final determination of charges by the Water Industry Commission, whether it will publish the assumptions and calculations that give rise to the minimum annual revenue expectation of £1,392 million in 2026-27, and, using the modelling assumptions for the strategic review of charges, what minimum charge would be necessary to generate this level of income.
Answer
This is a matter for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, and I have asked them to respond directly in writing to your question.