Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contractors have been refused government contracts in excess of £5 million on the basis of guidelines for prompt payment in government contracting; and what assessment they have made of the level of compliance in public sector contracts with the provision that 95 per cent of invoices should be paid within 60 days.

Individual departments are responsible for the implementation of the prompt payment exclusion measure and decisions on their own procurements. The Cabinet Office has been made aware of at least seven suppliers that have been excluded from procurements wholly, or in part, on grounds of non-compliance with the requirements to pay their suppliers promptly.

The UK’s large businesses are required to report on a half yearly basis on their payment practices, policies and performance. All information is publically available. Since the implementation of the prompt payment measure in Central Government contracts in September 2019, through businesses' published payment data, there have been some significant improvements in the prompt payment performance of key Government suppliers.