Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the new rules to prevent government suppliers from winning government contracts if they do not pay their suppliers on time are now in force; and whether Kier's recent payment performance falls below the standards expected by those rules.

From 1 September, in government procurements that are over £5m per annum and subject to the Public Contract Regulations 2015, suppliers will need to demonstrate good payment with their subcontractors. Suppliers that cannot demonstrate a fair, effective and responsible approach to payment in their supply chain should expect to be excluded from the procurement process for major government contracts.

The payment performance of all large businesses, including Kier and its relevant corporate entities, is available at www.gov.uk/check-when-businesses-pay-invoices.

Kier has a large number of contracts across the private and public sector and we are confident they can continue to deliver quality public services.