Having secured a meeting with Minister Caoimhe Archibald and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the Lagan Valley MLA has said: “Late payment of invoices across the public sector has been an issue for a long time. It remains a significant issue for small and medium-sized businesses across Northern Ireland, with solutions to the problem hampered by inconsistencies in the published figures.

“To this end, I have already submitted a proposal for a Private Member’s Bill to resolve this, particularly around the need for more reliable data and greater use of late payment claims. We were also happy to see an Alliance amendment to a motion on the issue early this week also passed unanimously by the Assembly.

“I welcome the Minister’s agreement to join me at a meeting with the FSB on the issue, as well as her clear proactivity and interest in developing better practice and tackling the issues involved.

“We recognise that ensuring there is consistency across all areas of the public sector is cross-cutting and challenging, but there is a clear route to progress should we choose to take it.

“The bottom line here is changing the culture to improve cashflow for small businesses, and my party colleagues and I will continue to pursue this on their behalf. We welcome the sense of urgency demonstrated by all involved, particularly around the critical issue of improving the consistency of data, since I first raised the issue in the Assembly before the summer recess.”