Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 121: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the late payment survey has been completed; if so, the findings of the survey; if not, when the survey is expected to be completed and published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13026/09]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has not undertaken a late payments survey as subsequent priority developments in the financial sector and wider economy have broadened the concerns for SMEs in gaining access to working capital. As I have outlined to the House on a number of occasions in recent months, I have had regular contacts with the representative bodies of the SME sector — the Small Firms Association and ISME — in relation to a number of issues impacting on small business access to working capital, including late payments.

The Recapitalisation Scheme for the banks includes a commitment to increase their lending capacity to the SME sector by 10% and has also resulted in the introduction by the Financial Regulator of a Code of Conduct for Business lending to SMEs to facilitate access to credit for sustainable and productive business propositions. To further assist the cash flow of SMEs, the Taoiseach announced on 5 March 2009, that the Government is introducing on an administrative basis, a commitment to reduce the payment period by central Government Departments from 30 to 15 days, and that an assessment will be completed by end-April of the impact of extending this arrangement to the local authority, health and education sectors. My Department is currently working on the specifics of implementing this arrangement and I will be circulating proposals to Government Departments shortly.