The right to information - Improving Transparency To End-users of Water Services Álvaro Carvalho e David Alves 9.º Congresso Mundial da Água Lisboa, 21-26 de Setembro de 2014

1. THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION – Improving Transparency To End-users of Water Services
Álvaro Carvalho, David Alves
9th IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition
Lisbon, September 2014

2. AGENDA
1. Introduction
W&S services in Portugal
Consumer protection & Right to information
Sound information – the regulators’ role
2. Goals & Method
Review of utilities’ websites
3. Facts & Figures
How important is information to the users?
Website surveys - main results
4. Recommendations & Next Steps
How can we improve standards?
Where do we go from here?

3. 1. INTRODUCTION
W&S services in Portugal Challenges: operators number & size, development stage, management model and services provided

4. 1. INTRODUCTION
Consumer protection & right to information
Monopolies vs freedom of choice
Essential public services… special public service obligations
Progressive universalisation
Quality of service
Transparency in service provision
Information to end-users

5. 1. INTRODUCTION
Right to information
What?
Changes occured in utilities
Opening times
Contracting rights & duties
Tariffs
Consumption (real or estimated)
Drinking water quality
Service interruptions
Where?
Website
Service regulations
Contract
Meter reading & billing
Helpdesk

6. 1. INTRODUCTION
Sound information – the regulator’s role
Good practices: Recommendation no. 1/2010 (invoice contents)
Capacity building: Technical Guide no. 20 (handbook)
Information to end-users: Communication campaign (FAQ & leaflets)
Information lacking on operators websites? - “fines from 10.000€ up to 500.000€” No fines + Informed users!

7. GOALS & METHOD
Review of websites of 343 water & waste utilities in mainland Portugal:
operator ID, competences and geographical scope;
statutes and legal title;
annual reports and accounts;
service regulations;
tariffs;
contract conditions;
drinking water quality results, and other quality of service indicators;
information on service suspension;
contacts and opening hours. Goals: baseline situation, induce improvements, enable next steps

8. GOALS & METHOD
Research and validation of 343 websites in 3 phases:
1.May – October 2012:
ERSAR searched and validated the contents of the websites
2.March – April 2013:
Utilities called to comment on the results and perform the required adjustments
3.June – September 2013:
New search in the websites
Cross-checking of results with the answers from the utilities
Public disclosure of the results

9. FACTS & FIGURES
How important is information to the users?
Consumers still give little value to information… % of complaints received at ERSAR where complainers claimed having insufficient or wrong information from utilities

10. FACTS & FIGURES
How important is information to the users?
…but some complaints could be avoided by better informed users. Distribution of complaints in relation to the ruling of ERSAR

11. FACTS & FIGURES
Websites reviews - main results

12. FACTS & FIGURES
General improvement after ERSAR intervention
Compliance rate above 50%
Some cases 90% (ID, reports and accounts, drinking water quality)
Low record on service regulations, contract conditions and information on service suspension
Assessment
No. of utilities
%
Already provided all information
38
11.1%
Corrected all loopholes after questioning
43
12.5%
Corrected some loopholes but problems still remain
93
27.1%
No answer and problems still remain
169
49.3%
Total
343
100%

13. RECOMMENDATIONS
How can we improve standards?
Tariffs
Clear information on fixed & variable tariffs, domestic & non-domestic users or charges for connection & cut-offs
Need for autonomous tariff documents (not in price tables) and contract conditions (not in local regulations)
Contracts
clear and precise information about measuring, billing and collection; suspension of service; tariffs; complaints and conflict resolution
Websites layout
Identify an area for service suspensions events
Aggregate relevant information in dedicated area (multiservice utilities)
Some operators go beyond legal requirements
Consumers can request service contracts, provide readings of water meters, make on-line bill payments…

14. NEXT STEPS
Where do we go from here?
Non-binding Recommendation by the regulator with guidelines and good practices
Streamline monitoring to an annual cycle (tariffs approval)
Embed the website monitoring in “Portal ERSAR” (ICT)
Step-up on disclosure of information: website ERSAR/ App ERSAR/Social Media
Highlight best & worst cases (“name & shame”)
Assessment of end-user satisfaction (national/local survey)
Warnings & fines

15. THANK YOU! OBRIGADO!
alvaro.carvalho@ersar.pt david.alves@ersar.pt www.ersar.pt