§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of small businesses she estimates were forced to take legal action against late or non-payers of debt in the last year for which figures are available. [153566]
§ Nigel GriffithsA survey by the Royal Bank of Scotland, conducted in January 2004, suggested that up to two fifths of small businesses have taken legal action against a customer for non-payment. The DTI does not make a separate estimate.