Chamber and committees

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland is committed to conducting its activities in a sustainable way. The Commission currently offsets its carbon footprint by contributing to woodland being planted in Scotland. In the context of the global climate emergency and Scotland’s ambition to reach net-zero emissions, WICS will continue to seek out ways to reduce the impact of its activities, whilst delivering on its duties as effectively as possible.

This information is available in the following table.

The Commission off-sets its carbon footprint by making a contribution to woodlands being planted in Scotland. This contribution is based on the carbon footprint for the previous financial year, as published in its annual reports.

As a body designated under the Water Resources (Scotland) Act 2013, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland is working to support the Scottish Government’s Hydro Nation initiative. The Commission makes a positive contribution to this initiative through collaborating with other regulators and water industry stakeholders, sharing Scotland’s expertise and best practice and to build capacity in economic regulation and water sector governance. As a founding member of the European Water Regulators Network (WAREG), WICS has built strong working relationships with water regulators across Europe. The Commission’s collaboration with WAREG members has been the foundation for developing memoranda of understanding (MoU) with 8 European water regulators. This allows it to exchange information, share knowledge and build the capacity of staff across organisations. There are no MoUs currently under negotiation.

WICS does not hold detailed information on the average cost of completing each memorandum. However, all revenue generated from international projects makes a significant contribution to the Commission’s overheads. This brings direct benefit to Scottish customers by reducing the levy it would otherwise charge Scottish Water which is money that would ultimately come from customers in the form of higher bills. In addition, the insights learnt from international partners helps the Commission to stay at the forefront of regulatory best practice.

The Scottish Government considers that the Chief Executive post should be full-time.

Information on the Commission’s carbon footprint is published in its annual reports, available on its website.

The following table provides the number of non-civilian type flights including HMS Gannet and search and rescue activity by financial year to and from Glasgow Prestwick Airport since 2013-14. The figures provided represent both arriving and departing flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) publishes statistics covering freight volumes for Glasgow Prestwick Airport. This information is available at https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-airport-data/ .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28890 on 15 May 2020 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12358&i=111699 . This remains the latest position.

A breakdown of the loan funding provided to Prestwick Airport by financial year is provided in the following table.