Member

On Amendment 26, I agree that payments under the Bill should not be withheld where there has been no breach of contract by the supplier. The amendment is not necessary to achieve this. The same principle I outlined in response to Amendment 25 applies and includes ESG. The commissioner can determine what is owed under the contract through adjudication and has the power to investigate persistent poor payment practices. For those reasons, I respectfully ask the noble Lord to withdraw Amendment 22 and not to press Amendments 23 to 26.