AQW 51228/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 08/09/2026
Answered On Date: 16/09/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance to detail any engagement he has had with the UK Government in relation to changes to prompt payment policy.

Answer:

The British Governments prompt payment policy has no effect here as public procurement is a transferred matter.

The Procurement Act, which applies to this jurisdiction, mandates that all public procurement contracts, above the relevant threshold, include a 30-day payment term, which is implied in contracts even if not explicitly written into them. This term also extends to subcontracts meant to contribute to the performance of a public contract. Invoices have to be paid within 30 days of receipt, not when validated. This requirement is also a standard condition of contract for those contracts below the threshold at which the Procurement Act applies.

The Executive’s Prompt Payment Policy encourages government departments to aim to pay 90% of valid, undisputed invoices within 10 working days, while adhering to the statutory limit of 30 days.