Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of the £274 million funding provided to British Steel has been used to settle outstanding invoices owed to small and medium-sized enterprises in the supply chain; and what estimate he has made of the remaining value of unpaid invoices to such businesses.

Revenue generated from sales funds the majority of British Steel's operating costs, with additional funding provided to British Steel under the provisions of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act to enable safe operation of its blast furnaces and related steel works. British Steel have confirmed it cannot currently disaggregate payments or invoices by SME status; however, all invoices are processed in line with contractual payment terms.