Water & Sewerage - Shareholder Unit
Introduction
DRD Shareholder Unit is the sponsor body for the Department’s shareholding interest in Northern Ireland Water (NIW) - the government-owned company established to run water and sewerage services throughout Northern Ireland.
The Shareholder Unit plans to use Government’s Shareholder Executive model to be a proactive, intelligent and effective shareholder, working with government and the management team to help the business improve its performance.
While the day-to-day running of water and sewerage services is the responsibility of the NIW Company Board, the purpose of the Shareholder Unit is to monitor NIW’s business performance and outlook and engage with the Company Board, Chair and Executive Team on strategic and shareholder matters.
Broad areas of interest to the Shareholder include:
- Board appointments and remuneration;
- Business Plans;
- NIW Performance.
Who We Are
The Shareholder Unit consists of a small specialist team. It is the main mechanism through which DRD manages its shareholding interest in NIW.
The Unit’s role is to provide advice and recommendations to Ministers and the DRD Permanent Secretary; it is ultimately for them to make decisions on behalf of DRD based on Shareholder Unit best advice.
When NIW was established in April 2007, the new company was set a number of shareholder objectives. These are to:
- Deliver substantially better quality services more efficiently and at lower cost;
- Manage the business within the financial parameters agreed in NIW’s Strategic Business Plan;
- Achieve the maximum affordable improvements in environmental compliance in both wastewater treatment and drinking water quality;
- Enhance shareholder value and provide returns that match or exceed the industry/regulatory cost of capital; and
- Strive to outperform the efficiency and other targets set within the Strategic Business Plan framework.
Making Contact
DRD Shareholder Unit is the sponsor body for DRD’s shareholder interest in Northern Ireland Water. We can be contacted at:
Department
for Regional Development
Shareholder Unit
Lancashire House
5
Linenhall Street
Belfast
BT2 8AA
Tel:
028 9054 2990
Fax: 028 9054 7875
Email: shareholder@drdni.gov.uk
Questions
Q: How does the Shareholder Unit differ from the Water Policy Unit?
A: The Water Policy Unit deals with matters of policy relating to the new status of Northern Ireland Water, such as the charging regime.
As government is the shareholder of the business and has set shareholder objectives such as greater efficiency, best practice in government management of business means that the Department needs to separate its policy interest from its shareholder interest. Hence the Shareholder Unit and Water Policy Division are distinct business areas.
Links
NI Water Strategic Business Plan
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