Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release of 10 April 2018, New changes to encourage small businesses to apply for government contracts, what progress he is making on excluding suppliers from major Government procurements if they cannot demonstrate fair and effective payment practices with subcontractors.

On the same day as the referenced press release, the Cabinet Office announced a consultation to gather views on whether it would be appropriate to exclude suppliers from major government procurements if they cannot demonstrate a fair, effective and responsible approach to payment in their supply chain management. This consultation closed on 5 June. We have been reviewing responses and will publish the outcome shortly.

In the meanwhile, Government strongly encourages businesses to report poor payment practice and instances of late payment in public sector contracts, including late payment through the supply chain, to the Mystery Shopper service in the Cabinet Office.