§ Mr. Ottawayasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average time it takes his Department to pay suppliers of goods and services to his Department.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerMost of my Department's suppliers of day-to-day requirements seek payment in 30 days net. Subject to confirmation that the goods and services received and the payments sought are in accordance with contract, payments are generally authorised and made within that time scale.
My Department also places a variety of contracts to meet more specialised requirements, for example in the case of research and development projects, for which suitably commercial payment terms are negotiated individually.