§ Mr. BettsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of bills to his Department were paid in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice in the last year for which figures are available. [5710]
832W
Subject Date Organisation Numbers taking part Location Timescale of fieldwork (i) (iii) (iv) (v) (v) 1. Fridge use and maintenance leaflet-communication research July 1993 Reflexions 96 Great Britain 1 month 2. Foodsense awareness July 1993 RSGB 2,000 Great Britain 1 month 3. Foodsense strategy research September 1993 Andrew Irving and Associates 96 England (North, South Midlands) 2 months 4. Improved methods of food preference mapping October 1993 Mobile Sensory Testing Services Ltd. 864 United Kingdom 3 years 5. MAFF exhibition research June 1994 Martin Hamblin 1,101 Bath, Northampton and Newcastle 8 months 6. Exhibition research August 1994 Diagnostics 434 London 1 month 7. Valuation of non-use environmental benefits. The value of natural areas. October 1995 University of Portsmouth 2,000 England 1 year 8. Customer satisfaction survey of regional service centres February 1995 BJM Research and Consultancy Ltd. 1,800 England 6 weeks 9. Balance in the countryside-evaluation of brochure and information pack. November 1994 Reflexions 30 Great Britain 6 weeks 10. Environmentally sensitive areas research February 1995 RSGB 1,500 England 1 month 11. Survey on the consumer understanding of numerical nutrition labelling January 1995 Research Services Ltd. 1,000 United Kingdom 4 months 12. Foodsense advert awareness August 1995 RSGB 4,000 Great Britain 4 months 13. Foodsense booklet review August 1995 Benson, Slesenger Research 48 England 6 weeks 14. Socio-economic and environmental evaluation of the farm woodland premium scheme June 1995 Entec UK Ltd. 542 England and Wales 2 months 15. Evaluation of ESA landscapes—research in the south downs and Somerset levels and moors September 1992 University of Newcastle 3.077 England 2 months
§ Mr. BoswellFrom 1991 to 1994, prompt payment performance was measured by a manual sampling process. For 1993–94, this sampling established MAFF's overall payment performance including payments to farm businesses as 85 per cent.
During 1994, MAFF was in the process of installing a computerised payments system and, as a result, consistent, statistically valid data on prompt payment performance could not be collected. Data emerging from the new system indicate 85.41 per cent. of all payments made by MAFF in the first quarter of 1995–96 were made by the due date.