Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994

66 Codes of practice for new water and sewerage authorities. S

(1) A new water and sewerage authority shall draft a code of practice which shall make provision—

(a) as to their standards of performance in providing services to their customers;

(b) for procedures for dealing with complaints by their customers or their potential or former customers;

(c) as respects the circumstances in which they will pay compensation if or in so far as those standards are not attained; and

(d) as respects such matters as are incidental to the provision made under paragraphs (a) to (c) above;

and the code may include such supplemental provisions as appear to the authority to be appropriate.

(2) A code drafted by an authority under subsection (1) above shall be sent by them to the Customers Council no later than the date on which they first, under subsection (4)(a) of section 76 of this Act, send a draft charges scheme to the Council; and subsections (4) to (6) of the said section 76 shall apply as respects any such draft code of practice as they apply to any such draft charges scheme.

(3) The authority shall endeavour to comply with their code of practice as for the time being approved by virtue of this section; but contravention of that code shall not of itself give rise to any criminal or civil liability.

(4) Subject to subsection (1) above, the authority may from time to time—

(a) vary; or

(b) revoke and replace,

their code of practice as so approved; and the varied or new code shall be sent forthwith by them in draft to the Customers Council.

(5) Subsections (4) to (6) of section 76 of this Act shall apply as respects a draft sent under subsection (4) above as they apply, by virtue of subsection (2) above, to a draft sent under the said subsection (2).

(6) The authority shall take such steps as appear to them appropriate to inform customers and potential or former customers of the contents for the time being of their code approved by virtue of this section.