§ Mr. SpellarTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment his Department has made of the period of time by the European Union institutions to pay bills to British companies, with particular reference to small and medium enterprises. [15144]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe United Kingdom Government have not undertaken any assessment of payments by European Commission institutions to British businesses. However, I understand that the European Commission has established a maximum payment period of 60 days and has taken steps to improve compliance with this. 197W In addition, the Commission has said that it undertakes regular checks on the payment periods applied by its own departments.