This report follows events earlier in the year when the water company revealed that changes to data assumptions in its tariff model gave rise to a significant change in the apportionment of costs between domestic and non-domestic customers.
The Minister said: "The Regulator has spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the issue of cost apportionment and has highlighted some important lessons that need to be learned. I welcome these findings.
"As the Regulator points out in the report, the context of the events reported is important. NIW has faced a huge ongoing programme of change. Although the company's data systems raise issues about data integrity it is illuminating that in Britain data issues continue to be a problem in other companies. Clearly, it is important that the company moves forward by ensuring it gains customer confidence in the services it supplies and the systems it has in place to support this.
"However, while the Regulator acknowledges – and I agree strongly – that the company deserves credit for identifying the incorrect data, its handling of the issue after the discovery did not reflect best practice. I am particularly pleased therefore that the Regulator and the company, working together, have agreed a range of actions to deal effectively with the shortfalls that are identified in the report. This constructive engagement augers well for the future and should enable the company to comply effectively with its regulatory obligations. "
Notes to Editors:
- The Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (the Utility Regulator) is responsible for regulating the electricity and gas industries and water and sewerage services.
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