Small Business Commissioner

(asked on 22nd November 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the proceedings of the Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee of 21 November 2017, whether the Small Business Commissioner has the capacity to name and shame those businesses which only pay their suppliers after a contractually agreed date; what plans his Department has to review the performance of the (a) Grocery Code Adjudicator, (b) Pubs Code Adjudicator and (c) Small Business Commissioner; and what progress with the Grocery Code Adjudicator was referred to during those proceedings.


Answered by
Margot James Portrait
Margot James
This question was answered on 27th November 2017

The Small Business Commissioner has the capacity to name and shame, or name and praise, businesses which have been the subject of an investigated complaint. The details of the complaints scheme, including factors that the Commissioner will consider when deciding whether to name a business, are set out in the draft Small Business Commissioner (Scope and Scheme) Regulations.

(a) Under the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013, the Groceries Code Adjudicator’s performance will be reviewed every three years. The first was carried out in October 2016 and the findings were published on 19th July 2017. The next review will cover the period to 31 March 2019.

(b) Under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, the operation of the Pubs Code and performance of the Pubs Code Adjudicator will be periodically reviewed. The first review will cover the period to 31 March 2019 and each subsequent review period will cover three years.

(c) Under the Enterprise Act 2016, the Small Business Commissioner’s performance will be periodically reviewed. The first review will cover the period until 31 March 2020 and each subsequent review period will cover three years.

For all of these statutory reviews, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State will publish the findings of the review and lay a copy before Parliament.

At the Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee on 21 November 2017, the progress with the Groceries Code Adjudicator I referred to was in relation to the first performance review of the GCA. It found that the Adjudicator is making effective use of her statutory powers and is effectively enforcing the Groceries Code through collaborative working with the large retailers.

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