§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence: (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;
(2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.
§ Mr. FreemanResponsibility for such matters rests with the chief executive of the Defence Accounts Agency. I have therefore asked him to reply.
Letter from M. J. Dymond to Mr. Clive Betts, dated 1 December 1994:
You asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice, and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.You also asked the Secretary of State for Defence, of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months respectively. These matters fall to me, as Chief Executive of the Defence Accounts Agency, for reply.The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in the Departmental Reports. For financial year 1993–94 Ministry of Defence paid 99.99 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of the presentation of a valid invoice.The MOD bill payment office at Liverpool also measure their performance against the higher departmental standard of payment within eleven working days of receipt of a valid invoice. They are currently achieving 97 per cent.