| answer text |
<p><del class="ministerial">Late payment remains an important issue for small businesses
in the UK. The Government is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to
recover late payment debts.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">Through the Enterprise
Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business
Commissioner to help small business resolve disputes with large companies, tackling,
in particular, late payment. The Commissioner will act as a disincentive to unfavourable
payment practices, and build the confidence and capabilities of small businesses to
help them to assert themselves in contractual disputes and negotiate more effectively
with larger businesses.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">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. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment
performance.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">We have also strengthened the Prompt
Payment Code to ensure it is a recognised and demonstrated beacon of best practice,
and we recently consulted on proposals to give representative bodies wider powers
to challenge grossly unfair payment practices.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">Government
promotes fair payment practices in construction through legislation (the "Construction
Act"), the use of public procurement (promoting prompt payment to Tier 3 and
the use of Project Bank Accounts), and by working with the industry through voluntary
measures (such as the Prompt Payment Code and the Construction Leadership Council's
Payment Charter).</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The Payment Charter includes
a commitment of zero retentions by 2025. To support this work, the Government recently
announced a review of the practice of cash retentions under construction contracts.</del></p><p><del
class="ministerial">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.</del></p><br /><p><ins class="ministerial">Opportunities
in painting and decorating will be created through the steps Government is taking
to increase demand in the construction industry, including its support for housebuilding
in England.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Last
week the Chancellor announced that the public housing budget for England is to double
to over £2 billion per year, and the Housing Bill sets out plans to build 1 million
homes in England by 2020.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">To
deliver Government ambitions for construction it is vital to attract new people to
the industry. The government is committed to significantly increasing the quantity
and quality of all apprenticeships in England to 3 million starts by 2020; the construction
industry will have a significant part to play in achieving this target.</ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial">However, skills policy (including apprenticeships policy) is a
devolved matter and, in Northern Ireland (NI), is the responsibility of the Department
of Employment and Learning.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Minister of Employment
and Learning, Dr Stephen Farry, published <em>Securing our Success, </em>a new NI
Strategy on Apprenticeships in June 2014. This Strategy aims to reform the system
of apprenticeships in NI, introducing them in a much broader range of occupational
areas and establishing them as an attractive route to gaining higher level qualifications
including at degree level and above.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The Construction
Skills Network Report for NI suggests that there will be an annual recruitment requirement
of 100 painters and decorators over the next five years, within a total requirement
of 1,490 construction trades each year.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"></ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial">The Construction Industry Training Board NI has a role to encourage
the adequate training of those employed or intending to be employed in the construction
industry and to improve the skills and productivity of the sector. NI’s six Further
Education Colleges provide professional and technical training for the painting and
decorating trades.</ins></p>
|
|
