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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 25 November 2024
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Displaying 2139 contributions

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Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

That is an important point, but how would you drive that? Who would drive that approach?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

There is quite a disparity between 30 days and 90. Is that universal for—

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

It sounds like you are providing the big retailers with their working capital.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

SMEs come in all shapes and sizes, and I am sure that they have very diverse needs in respect of types of finance, for example. When I look at a pre-Covid snapshot of how SMEs used or sourced finance, I see that business credit cards and charge cards were at the top of the list, followed by overdrafts. That sounds fairly pedestrian. Is there enough knowledge in the SME sector of the diverse funding sources that can be tapped into?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

I ask Paul O’Keeffe to comment on the diversity of the supply of financial products and SMEs’ knowledge that those exist and of how to tap into them, which is a slight twist on the question. Is sufficient funding coming through in those diverse lines? Now that we are in the post-Covid period, perhaps Paul O’Keeffe could comment on the debt levels that SMEs are currently bearing.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

You say that you pay your suppliers within 30 days as a matter of policy. However, you mentioned that the retailers and so on that you sell to perhaps do not fall into that category. How long, on average, does it take for you to be paid?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

As has been said, SMEs come in all sizes, shapes and forms. Accordingly, no one finance option covers them all. We have seen the lack of diversity in how SMEs approach financing. How do we ensure that diversity in financing is made available for the transition to net zero? How do we communicate the existence of such financing to the companies concerned? What can the banking sector do to improve in that regard? I will start with Fraser Sime.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

You mentioned that the Government could do something. What, specifically, do you hope the Scottish or UK Government will do to help?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

That is a long time for a business.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Transition to Net Zero (Financial Support)

Meeting date: 6 October 2021

Colin Beattie

Simon Crichton, what is your view?