Committees

Minister for Small Business questioned on late payments

9 October 2018

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee questions Small Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst as part of the inquiry into the effect of late payments on small suppliers and Government support for boosting the productivity of SMEs.

The session will also hear from four companies with experience of late payments in the supply chain and how the poor treatment of suppliers by larger firms can be addressed.

The Minister is likely to be asked about Government efforts to tackle the problem of late payments, including the role and effectiveness of the Small Business Commissioner and Prompt Payment Code. The meeting will also focus on how SMEs are being supported to improve productivity and skills and help with scale-up.

Witnesses

Tuesday 9 October, Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

At 10am

Panel 1

  • Paul Antino, Managing Director, NRT Building Services Group Ltd
  • Tim Hopkinson, Director, Poppleton
  • Tony Davis, Managing Director, AMD Electrical
  • Martin Burton, Contracts Director, Arnold James Ltd

Panel 2

  • Kelly Tolhurst MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility
  • Rannia Leontaridi, Director, Business Growth, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Chair's comments

Rachel Reeves MP, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said:

"After the collapse of Carillion, we heard stories of the devastating impact that late payments from large suppliers can have on firms further down the supply chain. We will be hearing first-hand the experiences of some smaller companies on how they are treated by big companies and if enough is being done to deter poor payment practices.

We will also be questioning the Minister on what is being done to stamp out late payments to small firms, which put the future of thousands of SMEs at risk each year. The role of Small Business Commissioner was set up nearly a year ago now, not just to crack down on such practices but to bring about a change in culture, so we will be wanting to know what progress has been made and what more the Government is doing to protect and help businesses that are the lifeblood of our economy."

Further information

Image: iStockphoto