Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of payments by her Department to small businesses are made on time and in accordance with the prompt payment code.

Core Defra’s finance system does not record whether a supplier is a small business. We are therefore unable to provide prompt payment performance information specifically in relation to such organisations.

Prompt payment information covering payments to all suppliers is published quarterly and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defra-prompt-payment-performance-report