Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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131. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his Department maintains or receives any data on the compliance of Government Departments and their agencies or bodies with the quarterly prompt payment reporting requirements under Government Decision S29296 of 19 May 2009, 2 and 8 March 2011, and 28 March 2017 (details supplied); if he will consider establishing a process by which departments must report publicly on agency-level compliance; and if not if his Department will develop a centralised oversight mechanism to ensure full-sector enforcement of this reporting obligation. [22612/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Since 2009, central government departments have been obliged to pay their suppliers within 15 days of receipt of a valid invoice (Government Decision of 19 May 2009). This also included the requirement that departments report to my Department on the implementation of these arrangements.

Subsequently, the 15-day prompt payment requirement was extended beyond central government departments and rolled out to the Health Service Executive, the Local Authorities, State Agencies and all other Public Sector Bodies (excluding Commercial Semi-State bodies) (Government Decision of 2 March 2011 and Government Decision of 8 March 2011). This included the requirement for each body to report quarterly to its parent department on performance in respect of these arrangements.

In March 2017 these bodies were obligated to report quarterly on their compliance with the Government’s 15 Day Prompt Payment Commitment using a revised payment performance template (Government Decision of 28 March 2017).

Each quarter officials from my Department remind all Government Departments of their responsibilities in respect of the bodies under their aegis that are bound by the 15 Day Prompt Payment Government Decision:

• To ensure that the correct template is used by bodies under their aegis in compiling and submitting their returns to their parent Department
• Each Department is then responsible for ensuring its Agencies publish their own data on their websites
• Each Department is to collate a table of returns for bodies under their aegis for publication on its own website.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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132. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if parent departments are required or expected to aggregate and publish prompt payment data from bodies under their remit, including State agencies and non-commercial State bodies; and if not, the reason such aggregated reporting is not currently mandated as part of the Government's transparency and public financial accountability standards under Government Decision S29296. [22615/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Since 2009, central government departments have been obliged to pay their suppliers within 15 days of receipt of a valid invoice (Government Decision of 19 May 2009). This also included the requirement that departments report to my Department on the implementation of these arrangements.

Subsequently, the 15-day prompt payment requirement was extended beyond central government departments and rolled out to the Health Service Executive, the Local Authorities, State Agencies and all other Public Sector Bodies (excluding Commercial Semi-State bodies) (Government Decision of 2 March 2011 and Government Decision of 8 March 2011). This included the requirement for each body to report quarterly to its parent department on performance in respect of these arrangements.

In March 2017 these bodies were obligated to report quarterly on their compliance with the Government’s 15 Day Prompt Payment Commitment using a revised payment performance template (Government Decision of 28 March 2017).

Each quarter officials from my Department request completion of the payment performance template report by all government departments and for the reports to be returned to my Department in order to compile a consolidated report and publish it on the Department’s website.

This quarterly request also reminds Departments of their responsibilities in respect of the bodies under their aegis that are bound by the 15 Day Prompt Payment Government Decision:

• To ensure that the correct template is used by bodies under their aegis in compiling and submitting their returns to their parent Department
• Each Department is then responsible for ensuring its Agencies publish their own data on their websites
• Each Department is to collate a table of returns for bodies under their aegis for publication on its own website.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider creating a centralised public database or portal for quarterly prompt payment reports submitted under Government Decision S29296; and if not, to provide a composite dataset or index showing the reporting status and prompt payment performance of all public sector bodies for the past three years. [22617/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Current requirements in respect of making quarterly prompt payment reports available to the public are for:

• Government Departments and public bodies (excluding commercial State bodies) to make quarterly reports available on their own websites
• Government Departments to compile consolidated quarterly reports in respect of public bodies under their aegis and make this report available on their websites