asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will write to the chief executives of all nationalised industries for which he is responsible asking them to pay their accounts to small firms more promptly.
I shall consider this in the light of the examination of possible ways of encouraging the prompt payment of bills, including a code of practice, being carried out by representatives of industry at the request of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps Her Majesty's Government takes to seek to encourage corporations in Scotland to pay their accounts to small firms more promptly.
| 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | |
| Greater Glasgow | 0·55 | 0·56 | 0·58 | 0·59 | 0·61 | 0·62 | 0·62 | 0·64 | 0·65 | 0·68 | 0·69 |
| Argyll & Clyde | 0·54 | 0·56 | 0·57 | 0·59 | 0·60 | 0·62 | 0·63 | 0·64 | 0·65 | 0·67 | 0·70 |
| Ayrshire & Arran | 0·50 | 0·51 | 0·51 | 0·53 | 0·55 | 0·56 | 0·58 | 0·60 | 0·61 | 0·61 | 0·65 |
| Borders | 0·64 | 0·63 | 0·65 | 0·67 | 0·69 | 0·68 | 0·69 | 0·72 | 0·73 | 0·73 | 0·73 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 0·65 | 0·68 | 0·68 | 0·68 | 0·70 | 0·70 | 0·74 | 0·76 | 0·77 | 0·78 | 0·79 |
| Fife | 0·48 | 0·49 | 0·50 | 0·51 | 0·54 | 0·55 | 0·57 | 0·57 | 0·57 | 0·59 | 0·59 |
| Forth Valley | 0·55 | 0·55 | 0·56 | 0·57 | 0·58 | 0·59 | 0·62 | 0·63 | 0·64 | 0·66 | 0·69 |
| Grampian | 0·66 | 0·66 | 0·64 | 0·65 | 0·64 | 0·64 | 0·64 | 0·64 | 0·64 | 0·65 | 0·65 |
| Highland | 0·79 | 0·81 | 0·80 | 0·78 | 0·83 | 0·82 | 0·86 | 0·89 | 0·91 | 0·91 | 0·92 |
| Lanarkshire | 0·45 | 0·46 | 0·46 | 0·47 | 0·48 | 0·48 | 0·50 | 0·52 | 0·51 | 0·53 | 0·54 |
| Lothian | 0·59 | 0·60 | 0·62 | 0·64 | 0·66 | 0·66 | 0·69 | 0·71 | 0·72 | 0·74 | 0·73 |
| Orkney | 1·03 | 1·02 | 0·89 | 1·00 | 1·10 | 1·21 | 1·17 | 1·09 | 1·09 | 1·14 | 1·14 |
| Shetland | 0·81 | 0·76 | 0·90 | 0·83 | 0·84 | 0·77 | 0·85 | 0·72 | 0·74 | 0·81 | 0·81 |
| Tayside | 0·61 | 0·62 | 0·61 | 0·62 | 0·63 | 0·63 | 0·64 | 0·67 | 0·69 | 0·67 | 0·72 |
| Western Isles | 0·83 | 0·81 | 0·84 | 0·88 | 0·81 | 0·67 | 0·84 | 0·79 | 0·85 | 0·92 | 0·98 |
Notes:
(a) Figures are based on the count of general medical practitioners at 1 October and population estimates at 30 June.
(b) The 1984 figures are provisional.