To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the proportion of invoices her Department paid to small and medium-sized enterprises within five days in the 2021-2022 financial year.

All government departments publish payment performance quarterly showing the percentage of invoices paid in five days, the percentage of invoices paid in 30 days, and net debt interest liability. The Department's payment performance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1074144/Interest_Liable_BC_by_Qtrs_Publish_2021-22Q4.csv/preview.

The Procurement Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will create a simpler and more transparent procurement regime that will further open up public procurement to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Bill includes a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing SMEs. Specifically, the Procurement Bill will imply 30 day payment terms into every sub contract that is substantially for the purpose of performing a public contract. This will ensure SMEs at every tier of the public supply chain can benefit from faster payments, even if 30 day terms are not explicitly written into the contract.