Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-22
============================================================

William Aird (FG), Laois

I wish to raise the issue of payment terms applied by State and semi-State bodies to contractors. I welcome that payments are guaranteed but I have been told that payment terms can stretch to four months, which is simply not acceptable. These are small and medium-sized operators, the backbone of small enterprise across Ireland, who must cover fuel, machinery, wages and other overheads all upfront. They cannot wait months to pay staff or creditors. Payment delays are placing real financial strain on otherwise viable businesses. I respect that commercial contracts are not for direct interference but it is reasonable to question why State agencies, which should set the standards, are imposing such lengthy payment terms. I ask that the Government examines this issue and ensures fair, timely and responsible payment practices for small contractors across Ireland. Will the Taoiseach send a memo to all the Ministers asking them to talk to and engage with all the agencies?

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-22