Whitehall taking longer to pay suppliers than last year_2
17 August 2012
Government offices have failed to meet targets for prompt payments to suppliers for the second year running and their record has got worse, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
In 1998, the DTI set a 100 per cent target for all departments to pay their suppliers on time by the financial year 1999-00. However, in that period, only 97.8 per cent of suppliers’ bills were paid within the agreed 30 days, which fell to 96.8 per cent for 2000-01.
Announcing the departmental performances for last year, Patricia Hewitt, trade and industry...