§ Sir Michael MarshallTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what policy guidelines are currently in place within his Department and the purchasing organisations for which he has responsibility in respect of the prompt payment of commercial debt, particularly as it relates to small business suppliers.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIt is the policy of my Department to pay bills promptly. The timing of payment is normally stipulated in contracts or on suppliers' invoices. Where it is not, the Department's aim is to pay within 30 days of the presentation of a valid invoice.
To help encourage prompt payment by our contractors to their sub-contractors, a clause has been added to the Department's standard terms of contract requiring the contractors to pay their sub-contractors within the same time scale.
§ Sir Michael MarshallTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what distribution has taken place within his Department and the purchasing organisations for which he has responsibility of the Department of Employment's publication "Making the Cash Flow—a Guide to the Payment of Commercial Debt for Buyers and Small Business Suppliers".
419W
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe publication has been made available to those staff in my Department, including its executive agencies, who have a particular interest in purchasing or bill paying.