§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of his Department on the timely payment of debts; and what is his Department's record on the payment of debts in the current financial year. [9532]
§ Mr. FatchettAll Departments are required to pay their bills within agreed contract terms, or 30 days from receipt of the goods or service of a valid invoice, whichever is later, where no such terms exist. Information on payment performance for the current financial year could only be provided at disproportionate cost. We will publish a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996–97 in the Autumn.