QUALITY & STANDARDS 2 (Q & S 2)
What is Q & S 2?
Q & S 2 is a shorthand way of describing the 4 year improvement programme for Scottish Water (SW) that commenced on 1 April 2002 - when Scottish Water was set up - and ended on 31 March 2006. It was established following detailed discussion with industry stakeholders and a formal public consultation, and was announced by the then Minister for the Environment and Rural Affairs, Ross Finnie, in August 2001.
Q & S 2 required the industry to deliver the following high level objectives:
- the legal standards set by regulations on water and sewage treatment;
- allow for no deterioration in underground infrastructure, and;
- provide for customer service improvements in a number of key areas.
It included £50 million of investment (£41m post efficiency) to tackle development constraints and first time sewerage connections in rural areas.
In addition, during the delivery period of Quality and Standards 2, several new obligations/additional items, which were unknown when the original investment programme was established and for which additional funding was required, were added to the investment programme. These additional items are outlined in the Q&S2 report.
How was Q&S2 funded?
The requirements of Quality and Standards 2 were assessed by the former three Water Authorities as totalling £2.3 billion over the four-year period 2002-2006. The costs were examined by the Water Industry Commissioner in the Strategic Review of Charges 2002-06 to take account of any scope for efficient delivery. He concluded that, allowing for efficiencies, Scottish Water (as successor to the three authorities) could deliver the same investment outputs for £500m less at £1.81 billion. This recommendation was subsequently accepted by Ministers and became an efficiency target that Scottish Water was required to meet.
These requirements are funded from the charges customers pay and borrowing from the Executive. As at March 2007, the Executive has made available £610m of borrowing to support Q&S2. Scottish Water has used £337m of this borrowing and carried forward £273m to support the delivery of the remainder of Q&S2 outputs in the next regulatory period.
What has Q&S2 delivered?
Underpinning the objectives and outcomes for Quality and Standards 2 are a set of specific outputs. Over the Quality and Standards 2 period, these outputs have been refined to take account of new information and the changing assessment of priorities that regulators (SEPA & DWQR) have required to meet the high level objectives for the industry.
The table below set out the specific outputs and SW's progress delivering these requirements as at end March 2006 for drinking water quality, wastewater quality, customer service, and capital maintenance. A full report on delivery can be found here.
Q&S2 Output Delivery as at March 2006 (defined as projected reaching beneficial use) | Total to be delivered | Total delivered (as at end March 2006) | Percentage of outputs delivered by March 2006 |
Drinking Water Quality | | | |
Properties receiving first time provision of water | 408 | 407 | 99.8% |
Drinking Water drivers addressed | 604 | 471 | 78% |
| | | |
Wastewater Quality | | | |
Continuous discharges removed | 591 | 416 | 70% |
Properties receiving first time provision of sewerage | 667 | 377 | 57% |
Unsatisfactory Combined Sewer overflows removed | 429 | 383 | 89% |
| | | |
Customer Service | | | |
Removal of properties from the poor pressure register | 1391 | 1391 | 100% |
Removal of properties from the 'at risk' flooding register | 829 | 728 | 88% |
| | | |
Capital Maintenance | | | |
General (inc Business Support) | | | |
Kms Mains rehabilitated | 3051 | 2990 | 98% |
Kms Sewers rehabilitated | 409 | 390 | 95% |
| | | |
AVERAGE DELIVERY | | | 86% |
The tables shows that, 86% of the specified Q&S2 outputs were reported as achieving "beneficial use" by end March 2006. This is the point at which customers receive the benefit of the investment.
The undelivered element of Q&S2 will be carried forward and will be delivered as part of the current investment programme. Further information on Q&S2 delivery is available from the Q&S2 delivery report. Information on specific investment projects which have benefited your area is available from Scottish Water.
What improvements has Q&S2 helped to deliver?
Investment & improved operational practice have transformed the water industry and delivered significant benefits to customers:
- On the environment - investment & improved operational practice have contributed significantly to the 53% reduction in lengths of polluted coastal waters (since 2001), a reduction in the numbers of failing wastewater treatment works from 82 to 35, and continued improvement in the quality of our bathing waters.
- On drinking water - investment & improved operational practice have delivered a 42% improvement in drinking water quality since 2001 (as measured by the no of determinations failing the relevant standard).
- On customer service - investment & improved operational practice have delivered a 24% improvement since 2002 (based on an aggregate customer service measures as reported by WICS).