Small Business Commissioner: Powers

(asked on 10th February 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen the powers of the small business commissioner in order to improve support for small businesses dealing with late payment issues.


Answered by
Kelly Tolhurst Portrait
Kelly Tolhurst
This question was answered on 13th February 2020

The Government is completely focussed on fulfilling our manifesto commitment to clamp down on late payment and strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) to support small businesses that are exploited by their larger partners.

Good progress is being made on the policies I announced in our Government Response to the 2018 Call for Evidence to assess what further steps and intervention may be needed to create a responsible payment culture, which included:

  • consulting on the merits of strengthening the Commissioner’s existing powers, to assist and advocate for small businesses in the area of late payments; and
  • strengthening and reforming the Prompt Payment Code and moving its administration to the Office of the SBC.

BEIS Officials work closely, and meet regularly, with the Interim Commissioner and his team and share any relevant policy developments, as set out in the Small Business Commissioner Framework Document.

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