Ref No.: 07 25
Request Type: FOI
Date Received: 12/03/25
Date Responded: 09/04/25
Category: Chief Executive Recruitment
Request
- How much has WICS spent on finding a new Chief Executive with a full breakdown of costs?
- How many meetings has WICS had with the Scottish Government in the last three months, and could you supply minutes/notes from these meetings?
- How many of the recommendations/work plan which Audit Scotland put WICS on have been completed, and can you supply what progress has been made so far on each one? Could you also supply how much has been spent on this, and breakdown of costs?
- Could you supply all documentation held by WICS about the chairman Donald MacRae resigning, including correspondence (including internal), minutes/notes from meetings, briefings, between September 20 2024 and December 20 2024?
Response
Many thanks for your request for information dated 12 March 2025 which asked for:
- How much has WICS spent on finding a new Chief Executive with a full breakdown of costs?
- How many meetings has WICS had with the Scottish Government in the last three months, and could you supply minutes/notes from these meetings?
- How many of the recommendations/work plan which Audit Scotland put WICS on have been completed, and can you supply what progress has been made so far on each one? Could you also supply how much has been spent on this, and breakdown of costs?
- Could you supply all documentation held by WICS about the chairman Donald MacRae resigning, including correspondence (including internal), minutes/notes from meetings, briefings, between September 20 2024 and December 20 2024?
We have handled your request in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). FOISA provides for a right of access to recorded information held by Scottish public authorities.
We disclose the following information to you in response to your request:
- How much has WICS spent on finding a new Chief Executive with a full breakdown of costs?
The recruitment exercise to appoint a new permanent CEO has not yet concluded and therefore the total cost associated with this is not held. Section 17 of FOISA states that where public authorities receive requests for information that they do not hold, they must issue a notice advising that they do not hold the requested information.
In the interim, we can confirm:
- The requirement for an executive search team to support us in this work was competitively tendered through the Public Contracts Scotland website. Please find the full notice here.
- Spend to date with the successful recruitment consultant is currently £15,000.
- Spend to date on advertising costs is currently £1,590.
Full details on expenditure will be published in due course in our annual report and accounts which will be made available on our website.
- How many meetings has WICS had with the Scottish Government in the last three months, and could you supply minutes/notes from these meetings?
Over the last three months, between 12 December 2024 and 12 March 2025 WICS has been involved in 14 meetings with the Scottish Government. This does not include any multi stakeholder meetings where either WICS of Scottish Government has been involved.
Associated minutes/notes from these meetings is attached at appendix 1. Some information has been withheld and redacted accordingly under the following exemptions:
- Personal information – section 38(1)(b) in conjunction with section 38(2A)(a) as the information constitutes personal data and to disclose the information would breach one or more of the data protection principles. In this case it has been decided that disclosure would be a breach of the first principle as the information cannot be disclosed lawfully. This is an absolute exemption and does not require consideration of the public interest.
- Free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation – section 30(b)(ii) where the exchange of views, opinions and advice is expressed while a decision is being considered or where further views are being sought.
- How many of the recommendations/work plan which Audit Scotland put WICS on have been completed, and can you supply what progress has been made so far on each one? Could you also supply how much has been spent on this, and breakdown of costs?
We believe you are referring to the action plan referenced in the 2023-24 Audit Scotland report.
We recently provided the Public Audit Committee (PAC) with a full update on the status of all work plan actions. This information is therefore subject to an absolute exemption under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 because it is otherwise reasonably accessible to you. Please find the full update available here.
We can confirm that our work continues although there have been no further updates to this plan at present.
- Could you supply all documentation held by WICS about the chairman Donald MacRae resigning, including correspondence (including internal), minutes/notes from meetings, briefings, between September 20 2024 and December 20 2024?
Some information has been withheld under section 25 because it is otherwise reasonably accessible to you. For ease, I refer to the following:
- PAC correspondence and appearances to date:
- 2022-23: The 2022/23 audit of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland | Scottish Parliament Website
- 2023-24: The 202324 audit of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland | Scottish Parliament Website
In addition to the information published above, we provide the following information held by WICS about the former Chairman’s resignation. Please find this information attached at appendix 2.
A limited amount of this information has been redacted under the following exemptions within the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act:
- Information in respect of which a claim to confidentiality of communications could be maintained in legal proceedings – section 36(1). The use of the exemption at section 36 requires consideration of the public interest and in this case, it has been decided that the public interest is in withholding the information. While it is recognised that there is a public interest in the resignation of WICS’ former Chair, it is essential that all associated processes can be appropriately managed.
- Information that we believe may prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs – section 30(c). The use of this exemption requires consideration of the public interest test and in this case, we believe that it is within the public interest to withhold the information in order to protect the technologies in use at WICS.
- Personal information – section 38(1)(b) in conjunction with section 38(2A)(a) as the information constitutes personal data and to disclose the information would breach one or more of the data protection principles. In this case it has been decided that disclosure would be a breach of the first principle as the information cannot be disclosed lawfully. This is an absolute exemption and does not require consideration of the public interest.
In order to support your request as far as possible, we would also like to point you towards a relevant FOI response released by the Scottish Government which is publicly available here.
If you are unhappy with this response to your request, you may ask us to carry out a review by contacting us. Your request for review should explain why you are dissatisfied and should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this response. The review will be undertaken by staff not involved in the original process and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) and thereafter to the Court of Session on a point of law only. The SIC can be contacted using the details below:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road
St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Web: www.foi.scot