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516378

	registered interest
	date	27/04/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made towards appointing the proposed Small Business Commissioner to help small businesses resolve payment disputes with large businesses.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Golding
	uin	HL8016
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2016 answer text <p>Government has taken powers to establish the Small Business Commissioner via the Enterprise Bill, which is currently waiting for Royal Assent. We have started the implementation process and will begin the recruitment of the Commissioner later this year with the expectation of appointing him or her in 2017. We are completing the rest of the implementation in parallel which includes: consulting on, preparing and laying secondary legislation; setting up the Commissioner’s office; and creating a web presence.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 11/05/2016 11:34:08 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	281 label Biography information for Baroness Golding

444102

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which 10 companies owed the greatest amount of late payment debt to SMEs in each six-month period of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	22124
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2016 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>The Department does not hold the information required. However, BACS data shows that small and medium businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion, and the average small business is waiting for £31,900 in overdue payments.[1]</p><br /><p>The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors.</p><br /><p>The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.</p><br /><p>The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a requirement for all public-sector buyers to publish annually, from 2017, their liability to debt interest payments. In central government we have gone further and faster. We will be publishing against these requirements quarterly from April this year. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.</p><br /><p>Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.</p><br /><p>Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.</p><br /><p><strong></strong></p><br /><p>[1] BACS Data June 2015.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry grouped question UIN 22125 22126 22130 22183 question first answered 20/01/2016 17:48:40 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

444103

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many SMEs have been declared bankrupt as a result of late payments in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	22125
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2016 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>The Department does not hold the information required. However, BACS data shows that small and medium businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion, and the average small business is waiting for £31,900 in overdue payments.[1]</p><br /><p>The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors.</p><br /><p>The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.</p><br /><p>The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a requirement for all public-sector buyers to publish annually, from 2017, their liability to debt interest payments. In central government we have gone further and faster. We will be publishing against these requirements quarterly from April this year. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.</p><br /><p>Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.</p><br /><p>Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.</p><br /><p><strong></strong></p><br /><p>[1] BACS Data June 2015.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry grouped question UIN 22124 22126 22130 22183 question first answered 20/01/2016 17:48:40 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

444104

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost to the UK economy of late payments to SMEs in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	22126
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2016 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>The Department does not hold the information required. However, BACS data shows that small and medium businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion, and the average small business is waiting for £31,900 in overdue payments.[1]</p><br /><p>The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors.</p><br /><p>The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.</p><br /><p>The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a requirement for all public-sector buyers to publish annually, from 2017, their liability to debt interest payments. In central government we have gone further and faster. We will be publishing against these requirements quarterly from April this year. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.</p><br /><p>Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.</p><br /><p>Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.</p><br /><p><strong></strong></p><br /><p>[1] BACS Data June 2015.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry grouped question UIN 22124 22125 22130 22183 question first answered 20/01/2016 17:48:40 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

444105

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much on average was owed in late payment debt to SMEs in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	22130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2016 answer text <p><strong></strong></p><p>The Department does not hold the information required. However, BACS data shows that small and medium businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion, and the average small business is waiting for £31,900 in overdue payments.[1]</p><br /><p>The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors.</p><br /><p>The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.</p><br /><p>The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a requirement for all public-sector buyers to publish annually, from 2017, their liability to debt interest payments. In central government we have gone further and faster. We will be publishing against these requirements quarterly from April this year. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.</p><br /><p>Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.</p><br /><p>Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.</p><br /><p><strong></strong></p><br /><p>[1] BACS Data June 2015.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry grouped question UIN 22124 22125 22126 22183 question first answered 20/01/2016 17:48:40 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

445845

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an estimate of the collective cost to small and medium-sized enterprises to recover overdue payments in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	23007
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2016 answer text <p>We know that the collective cost of late payment has been, and remains, a significant burden for small and medium sized businesses. Small businesses spend too much valuable time and resource chasing late payments, which impacts on their ability to invest in growth.</p><br /><p>The Department does not hold the information required to make an estimate of the collective cost to small and medium-sized businesses to recover overdue payments in each of the last five years. As late payment affects so many different types of business in different ways, no single survey gives a full picture of the impact of late payment on small and medium-sized businesses. The three sources that we look to as an indicator of late payment are the SME finance monitor, the regular BACs survey and Experian’s late payment index.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 27/01/2016 17:17:28 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

444540

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2016
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of late payment of claims by insurance companies on SMEs.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	22457
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2016 answer text <p>In the Enterprise Bill, Government has proposed to introduce a new requirement for insurers to pay claims within a reasonable time, which will also entitle policyholders to claim damages where a claims is paid late. An assessment of the impact of late payment of insurance claims, including on small and medium sized enterprises, has been published by the government:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461200/BIS-15-517-IA-late-payment-of-insurance-claims.pdf</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 20/01/2016 16:12:05 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

101771

	registered interest
	date	30/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to promote the Prompt Payment Code as a means of ensuring that small and medium-sized businesses do not suffer financial hardship as a result of late payments.
	tabling member constituency	Gosport
	tabling member printed	Caroline Dinenage
	uin	212560
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government launched the business-led Prompt Payment Code Advisory Board in October 2014. Its remit covers exploring ways to promote awareness of the Code.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government and the ICM now plan to develop proposals to ensure that signatories better adhere to the Prompt Payment Code’s principles in the coming months.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, we are working to improve the information available to small and medium sized businesses to help them identify which customers are good payers and offer the terms that fit best with their business model. Through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill we will take a delegated power to introduce a prompt payment reporting requirement through secondary legislation. This will require large and listed companies to publicly report on their payment practices.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 17/11/2014 11:18:46 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage

229539

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to tackle late payment to small businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	908351
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>We have taken unprecedented step to bring transparency to late payment, and I can tell the House I have written to all signatories to the Prompt Payment Code to set out the new requirements of a 30 day payment term as the norm, with a 60 day maximum. And we have legislated to require 30 day payment terms to be mandated down entire supply chains for public sector work.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 26/03/2015 14:33:09 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

178791

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Billing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to enforce prompt payments to small and medium-sized enterprises by large companies.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	224107
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2015 answer text <p>The Government is taking forward a suite of measures to tackle prompt payment.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, currently before Parliament, we will introduce measures to improve transparency on payment practices and policies. Increased transparency, through a tough and transparent new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies, will help take significant steps to addressing the current imbalance in economic power between small and large contracting parties. Our consultation on draft secondary regulations to underpin these measures closed on 2 February. We will publish a summary of responses shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently seeking views on how to best give representative bodies wider powers to be able to challenge grossly unfair payment practices on behalf of members. The discussion paper is available online and is open until 9 March.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government is also working to strengthen the impact of the Prompt Payment Code. We are currently considering proposals, including introducing a maximum payment term for Code signatories, more rigorous monitoring of signatory behaviour, and the enforcement of tougher sanctions on bad payers. We will announce our proposals in Spring.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>These measures will drive forward a shift in payment culture that will make it unacceptable for large companies in positions of extreme bargaining imbalances to exploit smaller suppliers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 23/02/2015 13:55:31 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon