§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 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. [13536]
§ Dr. David ClarkFor this purpose, I have responsibility for the Cabinet Office, including the Prime Minister?s Office and the Office of Public Service and its agencies and the Central Office of Information.
All Departments are required to pay their bills within agreed contract terms, or 30 days from recept of the goods or services or a valid invoice, whichever is the later, where no such terms exist. Such detailed information on payment performance for the current financial year could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury will shortly be publishing a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996–97.