Written question asked by Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative) on Thursday, 23 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 6 August 2026. It was answered by Lord Leong (Labour) on Monday, 3 August 2026 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
Small Businesses
- Question
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To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Leong on 21 July (HL Deb col 1078), whether businesses will be expected to determine their own size, and that of their business partners.
- Answer
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For the purposes of the Commercial Payments Bill there is no general requirement for businesses to establish their size or that of their partners. Certain categories of business, will be able to benefit from exemptions from maximum payment terms – on the basis of size. Therefore, businesses wanting to rely on these exemptions will need to ensure they fall within the relevant category. This should be simple and pose minimal burden for those businesses seeking exemptions. Business size thresholds will be confirmed through regulations following a consultation with stakeholders.
The Small Business Commissioner will be able to examine whether the relevant size conditions have been met and take appropriate action where an exemption has been claimed improperly.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- HL2760
- Session
- 2026-27
- Related items
- Subjects
- Small businesses
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-08-03 16:21:53 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2026-27/HL2760
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