§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville):My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Nigel Griffiths) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
The overall payment performance of government is 96.68 per cent. Figures for the financial year 2003–04 show that there has been a slight improvement on last year's figure. There has been a continued improvement in the payment performance of a number of departments and agencies, with 20 achieving the 75WS average or above, and 24 improving on their performance of last year.
Government departments and their agencies are required to monitor their payment performance and to publish the results in their departmental or annual reports. The table lists, by department, the proportion of bills paid within 30 days, or other agreed credit period, on receipt of a valid invoice.
The Government take this issue very seriously, and are committed to improving the payment culture in the UK in order to create fair and stable business transactions. The Government's own payment performance is an important element in this policy.
76WS
Defence Bills Agency (Ministry of Defence) 100.00 Privy Council Office 100.00 Office for Government Commerce 99.97 Registers of Scotland Executive Agency 99.73 Office of Water Services (OFWAT) 99.43 Department for Culture, Media and Sport 99.34 The National Archives (Public Records Office) 99.26 Office of Gas & Electricity Markets (OFGEM) 99.30 Inland Revenue 99.07 Health & Safety Executive 98.85 Export Credit Guarantee Department 98.72 HM Customs & Excise 98.60 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 98.14 Office for National Statistics 98.12 Foreign & Commonwealth Office 97.95 Cabinet Office (OPS) 97.79 Charity Commission 97.49 Northern Ireland Court Service 97.32 Ordnance Survey 97.11 Scotland Office Department for Constitutional Affairs 96.84 Postal Services Commission 96.60 Office of Fair Trading 96.51 Food Standards Agency 96.33 Department for International Development 96.26 Forestry Commission 96.26 Wales Office 96.03 Department of Health 95.88 Central Office of Information 95.54 Department for Education & Skills 95.43 Department for Work and Pensions 94.96 Department for Transport 94.87 Electoral Commission 94.86 Defra 94.61 Office for Standards in Education 94.09 Department of Trade and Industry 93.60 Treasury Solicitors Department 92.62 Serious Fraud Office 92.28 Department for Constitutional Affairs (Lord Chancellor's Department) 91.43 Royal Mint 91.39 Government Communications HQ 90.08 Home Office 89.90 Department for National Savings and Investments 89.19 Land Registry 89.13 UK Trade & Investment (British Trade International) 88.80 Office of the Rail Regulator 88.01 Northern Ireland Office 86.23 HM Treasury 80.91 Crown Prosecution Service 80.55 Government Actuary's Department 66.64 Average Percentage Paid on Time Across Government 96.68