§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the suppliers to his Department who are owed outstanding amounts, indicating the amounts and the due date on which the account should have been settled. [13548]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 30 October 1997]: The Home Office and its agencies are required to pay all their bills within the agreed contract terms, or where no such terms exist, within 30 days from receipt of the goods or service or a valid invoice, whichever is later. Detailed information on payments to individual suppliers could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury will shortly be publishing a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996–97.