Clause 11
6:45 pm
Mark Hoban (Shadow Minister, Treasury; Fareham, Conservative)
I am delighted that the Government’s plans are even more ambitious than my amendment in ensuring that payments are made to account providers quickly. I was slightly suspicious of the after-the-checking part of the Minister’s answer. When I talk to businesses in my constituency, often it is the checking bit that delays the payments of their invoices. It is used as a technique to manage cash flow, rather than to undertake detailed work to check whether an invoice is correct. I am sure that HMRC will not approach it in that way and will ensure that the checking is done expeditiously, so that the account providers can be reimbursed within seven days. On that basis, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.