Section 29E Departure from certain chargesF1

(1)

Scottish Water may, in any particular case, apply to the Commission for its consent to depart from a charges scheme in respect of charges to be paid for services provided to a water services or sewerage services provider.

(2)

The Commission may consent to a departure from a charges scheme only if satisfied that—

(a)

a customer of the provider has done, or has agreed to, something which reduces or increases the costs incurred by Scottish Water in providing the services to the provider, and

(b)

the departure is otherwise justified in the circumstances of the case.

(3)

Where the Commission consents to a departure, it may do so subject to such reasonable conditions as it considers are appropriate in the case.

(4)

Where the Commission withholds its consent to a departure, it must give its reasons for doing so.

(5)

The Commission is to make provision in writing which specifies—

(a)

the procedure to be followed for the purposes of determining applications made under subsection (1), and

(b)

any matters to be taken into account and the criteria to be applied in—

(i)

determining whether a departure from a charges scheme is justified, and

(ii)

the fixing, by Scottish Water, of lower or (as the case may be) higher charges to be paid for the services in question where it is determined that a departure is justified.

(6)

The Commission may from time to time revise the provision.

(7)

In preparing or revising the provision, the Commission must consult—

(a)

the Scottish Ministers and Scottish Water, and

(b)

such other persons as it thinks fit,

as to the procedure to be followed in considering applications made under subsection (1).

(8)

The Commission must send a copy of the provision to—

(a)

the Scottish Ministers,

(b)

Scottish Water, and

(c)

every water services and sewerage services provider.

(9)

Scottish Water must publish details of every departure from a charges scheme.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1: Ss. 29-29G substituted for s. 29 (1.7.2005) by Water Services etc. (Scotland) Act 2005 (asp 3), ss. 21(1), 37(2) (with s. 36); S.S.I. 2005/351, art. 2, sch. 2