Seòmar agus comataidhean

Okay.

I will turn to Consumer Scotland now. Perhaps you have not done any research on this yet, but is there an appetite for customers to pay more if more is going to be spent on the service, whether that means better quality or more value for money?

I gather, then, that you have not completed any of this research so that people understand that although they might be paying more, they are doing so because it is needed for the future. That work has not been done yet, has it?

Should the Scottish Government be doing more to help to ease the pressure on any increase in water charges?

Do you expect an overall plan for all the local authorities to be presented to Parliament so that we can get assurance that the target for 2035 will be met? What will happen if that target is not met?

You mentioned institutional investors. Can you give us any more details on what discussions have been held so far and how likely such investment is?

I cannot remember what year the Scottish Government said that the ban on gas boilers will take effect, so is that going to be met or not?

As did I, convener.

Going back to customer charging, I have a question for Alan Sutherland. I had been going to ask whether you think that Scottish Water is striking the right balance in delivering on its investment commitments and keeping bills low for customers, but you touched on that in your opening remarks. Do you think that the charges should be increased more to the level that they could be at?

You said that you might have some suggestions for the Government. How do you suggest the Government raises that money without impacting the lowest earners?

Do you think that it is right for customers to be paying more? You mentioned earlier that there are still problems with efficiencies at Scottish Water and the quality of information that you are getting. For example, there seems to be an issue with how Scottish Water is spending its money on bonuses. Do you think it is right to ask customers to pay more when there are still underlying issues with Scottish Water?

Thank you.