Top public servant paid £14,000 for unused leave
- Published
Alan Sutherland, chief executive of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, was paid a gross salary of £183,240 in 2021/22
One of Scotland's highest-paid public servants has been given a £14,000 payment for some of the annual leave he did not use.
The latest accounts for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (Wics) show chief executive Alan Sutherland's gross salary as £183,240 in 2021/22.
This included a £14,060 payment in relation to accumulated leave.
Wics said it approved a one-off payment to staff for annual leave which could not be used during the Covid pandemic.
The public body - which is the economic regulator of Scottish Water - said this was an "extraordinary measure" for leave which could not be used up during the year, and that no further payments have been made.
But Scottish Lib Dem environment spokesman Liam McArthur MSP called on the regulator to justify the payout.
He said: "For most workers annual leave is a use it or lose it proposition.
"Wics will need to justify why they have dished out such a hefty sum to its chief executive, particularly at a time when raw sewage is being routinely dumped into Scotland's waterways every day."
Mr Sutherland has been in charge of Wics since the regulator was created in 2005 and his salary is higher than the £157,861 Nicola Sturgeon earns as an MSP and first minister.
A statement from Wics, which is funded through a levy on Scottish Water, said: "In responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Wics allowed for a one-off payment to staff for a portion of annual leave which could not be used up during the year.
"This was an extraordinary measure to ensure we could continue to operate effectively in 2020-21 and into 2021-22.
"Our employees' annual leave balance has now returned to normal, and no further payments have been made."