Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance and advice had been provided by the Mystery Shopper Service to small and medium-sized businesses about their statutory entitlement to claim interest and compensation for late payment by public bodies; and what plans they have to provide further guidance and advice via the Public Procurement Review Service.

The Late Payment Directive guidance explains who is responsible for claiming interest on overdue payments and how interest is calculated. This is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/late-payment-directive-user-guide-to-the-recast-directive

The Public Procurement Review Service (PPRS) refers suppliers to this guidance where appropriate. The supplier will need to initiate the interest payment process with the Contracting Authority. No other advice is provided by PPRS on this and the service is not involved in providing compensation to suppliers.