Ref No.: 01 25
Request Type: FOI
Date Received: 28/01/25
Date Responded: 06/02/25
Category: Public Bodies Expenditure
Request
May I request the following request under freedom of information legislation:
The data your organisation provided to the Scottish Government for total spending on corporate functions in 2022-23, broken down by the total cost of running HR, finance, commercial, communications, digital & data and estate.
Updated data on your organisation’s total spending on corporate functions in 2023-24, broken down by the total cost of running HR, finance, commercial, communications, digital & data and estate.
For reference, the data on spend on corporate functions that I refer to can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-bodies-expenditure-supplementary-report-data-commission/pages/3/.
Response
Many thanks for your request for information, which was received by us on 28 January 2025.
Your request asked for:
- The data your organisation provided to the Scottish Government for total spending on corporate functions in 2022-23, broken down by the total cost of running HR, finance, commercial, communications, digital & data and estate.
- Updated data on your organisation’s total spending on corporate functions in 2023-24, broken down by the total cost of running HR, finance, commercial, communications, digital & data and estate.
The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) does not hold information on corporate function spend as referred to through the link you provided (https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-bodies-expenditure-supplementary-report-data-commission/pages/3/). 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.
I can confirm that WICS was one of the organisations that were excluded from this data collection exercise (as referenced here: Public body expenditure involving corporate functions - Public Bodies Expenditure: Supplementary Report of Data Commission - gov.scot) and the reason for this is because our funding doesn’t come directly from Scottish Ministers.
WICS is an organisation of only 25 people and does not have any separate corporate functions, as described in the request. You are welcome to review our PSRA 2023-24 report which may provide some information that is useful, however it won’t provide the analysis that is being requested.
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