Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the penalties for large firms that fail to comply with the duty to report on payment practices and policies.

Failure to publish a report as required will be a criminal offence. The company and its directors, or LLP and its designated members, will be liable. It will also be an offence to publish false or misleading information.

These offences will be punishable on summary conviction (in the Magistrates’ court) by a fine. If a concern is raised with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that a large business might not have complied, the business will usually be contacted to remind them to comply and seek an explanation for non-compliance or discrepancies.