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To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure rights holders are remunerated when their copyright works are used to train artificial intelligence models.

Asked by
Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Date
15 September 2026
Reference
27358
House
House of Commons

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on professional female footballers of the proposed changes to the tax treatment of image rights payments from 6 April 2027; and whether he plans to publish an impact assessment of those changes.

Asked by
Caroline Dinenage (Conservative)
Answering body
Treasury
Type
Written questions
Status
Tabled
Date
15 September 2026
Reference
29944
House
House of Commons

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings his Department has had with representatives of the Women’s Super League on the proposed changes to the tax treatment of image rights payments.

Asked by
Caroline Dinenage (Conservative)
Answering body
Treasury
Type
Written questions
Status
Tabled
Date
15 September 2026
Reference
29945
House
House of Commons

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential differential impact on professional female footballers of the proposed changes to the tax treatment of image rights payments from 6 April 2027, including in relation to differences in salary levels and the proportion of...

Asked by
Caroline Dinenage (Conservative)
Answering body
Treasury
Type
Written questions
Status
Tabled
Date
15 September 2026
Reference
29946
House
House of Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to help rights holders identify when their works have been used to train artificial intelligence models since March 2026.

Asked by
Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Date
14 September 2026
Reference
27359
House
House of Commons

To ask His Majesty's Government why photographs on the Number 10 Flickr account are being published with a Creative Commons license which is not compatible with the terms of the Open Government License.

Asked by
Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Cabinet Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Tabled
Date
4 September 2026
Reference
HL3109
House
House of Lords

I am finishing. We must do everything we can to ensure that AI does not become sovereign over Britain. We cannot wait for others to determine the future of our citizens and our children.

Member
Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 c1258
House
House of Lords

We must invent it with honour and dignity for human lives.

Member
Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 c1258
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I declare my interests as a science entrepreneur and, in particular, my roles as chairman and shareholder in Locai Labs and Freevolt Technologies. I add my congratulations to the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, on securing this debate and, frankly, her outstanding impact in campaigning against the harms of...

Member
Lord Drayson (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1259-1260
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Drayson. We share our views on the Science and Technology Committee. I know his passion and commitment for British technology. I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for securing this debate at this crucial time, and declare...

Member
Lord Ranger of Northwood (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1260-2
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I too begin by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for once again bringing us together for this important conversation at a moment in time when AI is emerging as the operating system of all our lives.

In May, I cautioned this House that frontier AI systems were shaping...

Member
Baroness Shields (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1262-3
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is a real honour to take part in this debate, and I join others in thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for her penetrating analysis.

In the words of our new Prime Minister on the steps of Downing Street a few days ago:

“Britain needs to show the world...

Member
Bishop of Oxford (Bishops (affiliation); Bishops (affiliation))
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1263-5
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I declare an interest as a consultant to DLA Piper on AI policy and regulation and as chair of the board of the Authors’ Licensing Collecting Society. I join other noble Lords in congratulating the noble Baroness, Lady Lloyd, on her reappointment, but the bed of nails that...

Member
Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1265-8
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for securing this important debate, and I thank all those who participated. It has been fascinating throughout and brilliant points have been made from all sides. I welcome the return of the Minister to her place. As ever, the reward...

Member
Viscount Camrose (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1268-1270
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to respond to this debate and I, too, thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for bringing forward the discussion on this significant issue. Despite the fact that we discuss the important issues of AI once or possibly twice a week, I always find that...

Member
Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1270-5
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I start by disappointing the noble Lord, Lord Holmes: there will be no biopic about me, but Oxford University is currently building a “Baroness Bee” chatbot that might help my productivity. I apologise for the cost of the hardback book, but let me say that I have donated...

Member
Baroness Kidron (Crossbench)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 c1275
House
House of Lords

Lords motion to take note of the impact of digital and technology policy on national sovereignty. Agreed to on question.

Lead member
Baroness Kidron
Answering member
Baroness Lloyd of Effra
Department
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Type
Debates
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1240-1275
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords taking part in this debate. I pay particular tribute to the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Oxford for his leadership in advocating for digital systems to reflect our ethics and values, who today makes his valedictory speech.

Anyone who has heard...

Member
Baroness Kidron (Crossbench)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1240-4
House
House of Lords

My Lords, we stand today at a moment of profound vulnerability for the United Kingdom. Our economic security, our national safety and even our long-term sovereignty are at massive risk because we do not yet host or own enough of our own computing infrastructure, our own cloud services or our...

Member
Baroness Berger (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1244-5
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is time for the formal and ritual congratulations to the noble Baroness, Kidron, not merely on starting the debate but for recognising her enormous energy, concentration and focus on the real issues, which I am glad we are debating now at the end of this term. Of...

Member
Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1245-7
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for facilitating this debate on such an important topic. It is, as always, a pleasure to follow my noble friend, who makes such thoughtful contributions.

I want to concentrate on artificial intelligence. As I think we all know, alongside magnificent...

Member
Baroness Stowell of Beeston (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1247-8
House
House of Lords

My Lords, my congratulations and gratitude go to the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for securing this debate. Though it feels like we have an almost weekly debate in your Lordships’ House on one aspect or another of AI, I think it is most welcome, given that this is one of...

Member
Baroness Gill (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1248-9
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in this debate, and I add to the plaudits directed at the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, who has prosecuted her agenda on digital safety and digital rights for more than a decade with acute skill and has certainly moved...

Member
Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1249-1251
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for securing this debate and for a powerful and incisive introduction which rightly identified that what we are talking about today is a constitutional issue—among the many that the British state currently faces, which has a lot to do with the...

Member
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1251-2
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I refer to my membership of a number of APPGs on digital inclusion. I also congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, on securing this debate today. Like her, I am not against technology, AI or any of the platforms that exist. However, I worry about the numbers of...

Member
Baroness Verma (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1252-3
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I, too, welcome the initiative from the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron. I have just finished her book, and it is a good read, but I have only one niggle: I really gasp at the cost of hardbacks. Maybe I am stingy, but they told me it is a...

Member
Lord Moraes (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1253-5
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is a pleasure to take part in this debate. In doing so, I declare my relevant technology interests as adviser to the Crown Estate and to Simmons & Simmons LLP.

I must start by congratulating my friend, the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, on her brilliant and blistering introduction...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1254-6
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, and I thank him for all his work. Echoing all the praises, I, too,

express my gratitude to my friend, the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for her very powerful leadership, including in this debate.

My contribution today is...

Member
Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
23 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1256-8
House
House of Lords

Lords committee stage. Clauses 1 and 2, as amended, agreed to. Clauses 3 and 4 agreed to. Clause 5, as amended, agreed to. Clauses 6 and 7 agreed to. Clauses 8 and 9, as amended, agreed to. Schedule 1, as amended, agreed to. Clauses 10 to 17 agreed to. Schedule...

Lead member
Lord Leong
Answering member
Lord Hunt of Wirral; Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Department
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Type
Debates on bills; Committee of the Whole House (HL)
Notes
Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh legislative consent sought.
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1057-1132
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Holmes of Richmond

1: Clause 1, page 2, line 5, at end insert—

“(1A) The purchaser must advise the supplier how the supplier should submit notice as set out in subsection (1).

(1B) Where the purchaser fails to advise the supplier on how to submit notice, the supplier may rely on...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1057-8
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is a pleasure to start this Committee on the Commercial Payments Bill. In doing so, I declare my relevant technology interests as adviser to the Crown Estate and Simmons & Simmons LLP, and as non-executive director of the Avalanche Foundation and Avalanche (BVI) Inc. The Bill is...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1058-9
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 10 in my name. Before that, I commend the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, on Amendments 1 and 9. These seem to be eminently sensible suggestions. I wonder whether, if the Small Business Commissioner makes very clear their view on when the clock starts...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1059
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Holmes of Richmond for introducing this debate. I welcome all noble Lords back for what will, I am sure, be a productive Committee stage.

I shall begin with Amendment 1. I understand the principle behind my noble friend’s approach. The Bill performs a...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1059-1060
House
House of Lords

My Lords, first, I thank all noble Lords for their contributions to this short debate; I thank in particular the noble Lords, Lord Holmes and Lord Fox, for their Amendments 1, 9 and 10. I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, for all his work in the area...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1060-2
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in this debate and the Minister for his response. Amendment 1 is not seeking to be overly prescriptive but merely to be clear. While I understand the Minister’s points, there is still a gap in the middle with the...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1062
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Holmes of Richmond

2: Clause 1, page 2, leave out lines 8 and 9 and insert “30 days”

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment seeks to make the maximum payment period 30 days, instead of 60 days, where the purchaser is not a public authority.

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1062
House
House of Lords

My Lords, there is a wonderful structure to the groupings so far. Group 1 started with Amendment 1 and group 2 starts with Amendment 2—we are all following so far. In moving Amendment 2, in my name, I will speak to Amendment 7.

Amendment 2 is simply a probing amendment and...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1062-3
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I rise to follow my indefatigable noble friend Lord Holmes and congratulate him on his Amendments 2 and 3. I agree that there is a real risk that 60 days will become the default, whereas 30 days is the market norm. I took the trouble to check with...

Member
Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1063-4
House
House of Lords

That was a hint to rise. I will speak to my Amendment 52, but I must first apologise to the Committee that I was unable to speak at Second Reading, my scrutiny hours having been occupied in the passage of another Bill, which also accounts for why this was rather...

Member
Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1064-5
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I will begin by picking up where I left off in group 1, by briefly touching upon Amendment 7 in the name of my noble friend Lord Holmes of Richmond. Just as we should not define a payment as complete until it has passed through an intermediary and...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1065-7
House
House of Lords

Your Lordships have shown a degree of creativity on this group. We have talked about end-of-month processing, public holidays and the effect on privatisation, nationalisation or special administration, and we have just heard about crypto payments. Of those four, I ask that the Minister focuses first on the special administration...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1067-8
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their contributions and amendments in this group. The Government share the objective of fair payment rules and are committed to ensuring that businesses, especially SMEs, are paid promptly. The 60-day period was set following extensive consultation with industry, with more than 850...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1068
House
House of Lords

Does the Minister have an analysis of the various levels and sizes of the entities that responded to the consultation, married to the length of time that they sought? If he does not have it at his fingertips, he could write. In effect, does the research show an interesting picture...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1068
House
House of Lords

I am sure we do; I will speak to officials and make sure I share that information with all noble Lords.

This represents a significant strengthening of existing law, where payment terms of more than 60 days are often imposed on suppliers. Some smaller businesses argue that 60 days remains too...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1068-1070
House
House of Lords

Before the Minister sits down, may I push him a bit on a point he made? He said that Amendment 43 could not be accepted because it would cut across all insolvency legislation by not treating all suppliers or creditors equally. Does he recognise the special situation of certain suppliers...

Member
Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1069
House
House of Lords

I am grateful to the noble Lord for bringing that specific example. I need to be very specific about this, because it refers to a particular organisation; I need to get my facts correct and will write to him.

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1069
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who participated in this debate and tabled amendments, and I thank the Minister for his response. It was already clear but is particularly so with that final exchange: the SAR provisions are particularly significant and could barely be more up to the minute,...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1069-1071
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Leong

6: Clause 1, page 3, line 2, leave out “(implied payment terms in certain public contracts)”

Member’s explanatory statement

This minor amendment omits a description of sections of the Procurement Act 2023 which was not wholly accurate.

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1071
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I will now introduce government amendments in my name. Turning first to the amendments to the Procurement Act 2023, I hope noble Lords across the Chamber will agree that the Government and the wider public sector must set a good standard for good payment practice. If we expect...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1071-2
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Leong, for his clear exposition of his collection of amendments. This might seem like a lot of government amendments to those who are not veterans of the previous Parliament, but I remember when the noble Lord, Lord True, brought 250 amendments on...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1072
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I am also grateful to the Minister for his comprehensive explanation. I am pleased that this tidying-up exercise, if you will, around existing legislation is happening, because that

forms the basis of all the amendments in the group that we are about to debate, which are all mine,...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1072-3
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank the noble Lords, Lord Fox and Lord Sharpe, for their contribution on these amendments in my name. It is best that we get any legislation right in the first place, and I appreciate the support given to the Government on these amendments. There is a lot...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1073
House
House of Lords

The Minister is changing the Procurement Act with this Bill. The power to reduce the payment term to below 30 days was in the Procurement Act. It is being renewed here and extended to construction contracts. In the Procurement Act provision, the period was 30 days or later if the...

Member
Lord Lansley (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1073
House
House of Lords

My Lords, that would be inconsistent with the Bill, because the Bill sticks at 30 days for public authorities. We are trying to tidy this up. Any provisions that provide an extension for more than 30 days for public authorities will not happen. That is why we are sticking to...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1073
House
House of Lords

I ask the Minister to go back and have another look at the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, because there are vague stirrings in the back of my mind that there is a point there. It might be worth finding out why it was put in in...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1074
House
House of Lords

I will do that.

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1074
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Leong

12: Clause 2, page 5, line 12, leave out “68 or 88” and insert “68A or 88A”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on my amendment inserting sections 68A and 88A into the Procurement Act 2023. It excludes payments under public construction contracts from inserted section 2D of the...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1074
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Sharpe of Epsom

18: Clause 3, page 7, leave out lines 3 to 16

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment seeks to probe the scope and impact of exempting upwards payments from the restriction on payment terms, given the fact that many of the suppliers will still be small or medium businesses.

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1074
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is a pleasure to introduce group 4, which primarily covers the important issue of the definitions of different sized businesses. Before I open that debate, I will touch on the other amendments in this group.

Amendment 18, which was signed by my noble friends Lord Hunt of Wirral...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1074-7
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Sharpe, having signed all the amendments in his name. There are two key principles at stake here, as he eloquently set out: first, not to introduce yet another definition and, secondly, to take the opportunity to bring some clarity, consistency and coherence...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1077
House
House of Lords

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe, brought up a number of important issues, but I do not think he brought up any viable solutions. He spoke at the beginning about the proliferation of definitions, then sought to add to that proliferation with some new definitions.

He is right that some...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1077
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords, and thank the noble Lords, Lord Sharpe and Lord Hunt, for tabling these amendments.

Amendment 18 concerns specific exemptions from 60-day maximum payment terms. The Bill will allow contracts to be exempt where the purchaser is a smaller party. It is also the Government’s...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1078-9
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his explanation and for the context around some of the amendments that he has provided. I thank all noble Lords who spoke in the debate, especially my noble friend Lord Holmes. I will be brief in response.

I totally accept that the...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1079-1080
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd

19: Clause 3, page 7, line 23, at end insert “save that the Secretary of State must not specify in regulations which have or will continue to have effect after 1 April 2029 any contract of a description which relates to—

(a) the supply of any goods...

Member
Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd (Crossbench)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1080
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I declare my interest as chairman of the board that advises the International Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, for his support in this, and for the time that the Minister and his officials afforded to discuss it.

I set...

Member
Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd (Crossbench)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1080-1
House
House of Lords

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow my friend, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, and the excellent and eloquent way in which he introduced his amendment, which I was delighted to sign. As he rightly pointed out, this could be seen as the absolute premier DBIST amendment....

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1081-2
House
House of Lords

My Lords, very briefly, this would seem to be the perfect amendment for the Minister to accept. As pointed out, it signals an innovative forward direction for the new department, it utilises complex legislation that has already happened, it does not cost anything, and nothing will happen for two years—perfect.

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1082
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, for introducing his amendment. I cannot really improve on what has already been said, except to say that this issue has been raised with His Majesty’s Opposition in the run-up to this Committee stage....

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1082
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, for tabling Amendment 19, and acknowledge his advocacy in relation to e-invoicing and electronic trade documents. However, the intention to exempt imports and exports from maximum payment terms through secondary legislation is crucial to supporting

UK businesses. Whether helping...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1082-3
House
House of Lords

Before the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, responds, can I just ask the Minister something? It seems to me that he is accepting the proposition, with which I entirely agree, that the nature of e-invoicing and the use of electronic trade documents will make it possible for...

Member
Lord Lansley (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1083
House
House of Lords

I appreciate what the noble Lord has just said, but it is important that the scope of the Bill is targeted at UK businesses and small businesses. A commercial arrangement between a company based in the UK or a business based elsewhere is probably outside the scope of this Bill...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1084
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank everyone who has spoken in this short, slightly esoteric argument and on these interests. I simply say that I do not think that this issue will go away. First, the payment terms in the Bill are 60 days and in modern international trade that is a...

Member
Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd (Crossbench)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1084
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Holmes of Richmond

24: Clause 4, page 9, line 2, at end insert—

“(3) Statutory interest is to be remitted to the supplier within five working days of payment of the invoices.

(4) “Remitted” in subsection (3) means the point at which the supplier has unequivocal and unencumbered use of cleared...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1084-5
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I look forward to the debate on this group. Amendment 24 is incredibly straightforward. It requires that the purchaser calculates the interest and makes the payment in all circumstances because they have the means and the resources and are in the position to do such. In doing that,...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1085
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Holmes of Richmond for this amendment. I am sorry that noble Lords have caught me eating a toffee, which was a terrible error.

The ability to charge statutory interest on late payments was established by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1085-6
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, for this amendment. I understand the concern that statutory interest is not always claimed or paid in practice, and I agree that it is important to find ways to make the systems work better for suppliers. However, the Bill already strikes...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1086
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Sharpe and the Minister for their comments in this short debate. In spite of the Minister’s comments—I particularly appreciate his comments on the five-day period—there is a principle at the heart of this, which is worth exploring between Committee and Report. For...

Member
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1086
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Leong

26: Clause 5, page 9, line 37, leave out from second “to” to end of line 5 on page 10 and insert “—

(a) the day that has effect under provision agreed by the parties to the contract as the last day for payment to be made, or

(b) the...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1087
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Leong

35: Clause 8, page 14, line 19, leave out “110(3)” and insert “110(4)”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on my amendment to Schedule 2, which means that the reference to section 110(3) of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 should be a reference to section 110(4).

36:...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1088
House
House of Lords

My Lords, Amendment 37 is in my name. This amendment would confirm on the face of the Bill that the Act does not apply to contracts principally for the licence or assignment of copyright—

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1088
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Fox

37: After Clause 8, insert the following new Clause—

“Agreements relating to copyright and other intellectual property

After section 15A of the CPILPA 1998 insert—

“15B Agreements relating to copyright etc.

(1) The provisions in Part 1A, Part 1B, section 4, section 6A, section 11A and section 15A do not apply to...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1088-9
House
House of Lords

Fortunately, this is a short speech so I can lengthen it by repeating that.

This amendment would confirm on the face of the Bill

“that the Act does not apply to contracts principally for the licence or assignment of copyright or rights in performances, so that royalties, advances and residuals under publishing,...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1089
House
House of Lords

My Lords, we are all very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Fox, for tabling Amendment 37, which seeks clarity on this important issue. As he explained, this amendment would confirm in the Bill that the Act-to-be

“does not apply to contracts principally for the licence or assignment of copyright or...

Member
Lord Hunt of Wirral (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1089-1090
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Fox, for his Amendment 37, and I thank the Publishers Association for meeting with me. I can be very clear and confirm that the Bill does not substantially alter the contracts in scope of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1090
House
House of Lords

Before the Minister sits down, can he address the two questions I raised? Are there other industries that might similarly be affected? If so, how do the Government intend to reach an end conclusion?

Member
Lord Hunt of Wirral (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1090
House
House of Lords

As far as the Bill is concerned, we are not providing any particular exemption to any particular sector. As far as intellectual property law is concerned, there were concerns from the various trade organisations that the Bill may also include the licensing

of copyright. That is not the case, because...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1090
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I should have said that my wife is a published author, so I have some family interest in this. Following the Minister’s last statement, I am still not clear on this. As the Minister knows, a classic book contract often involves an advance followed by royalties. The advance...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1091
House
House of Lords

I will quickly answer that. If the contract is for a book, and, as part of the contract, the creator is advanced a sum of money with an additional royalty arrangement, then the contract for that sum of money is covered within the scope of the Bill. The payment of...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1091
House
House of Lords

That is clearer. I will climb through the words we have exchanged as a result of this debate and see whether any comeback is required on Report. Pending that, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1091
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Leong

38: Clause 9, page 14, line 35, leave out “in connection with provision” and insert “in consequence of the amendments of the CPILPA 1998”

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on my amendment to Schedule 1 amending the Procurement Act 2023.

39: Clause 9, page 14, line 36, at end...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1091
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Leong

40: Schedule 1, page 46, leave out lines 25 to 36 and insert—

“(a) a reference to a contract to which section 68 or 88 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies includes a contract into which the terms in section 68(2) to (5) or section 88(2) to (5) of...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1091-7
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Lansley

44: Clause 11, page 15, line 19, at end insert—

“(1A) Sections 113B to 113E apply only where B is not a micro, small or medium-sized undertaking according to the regulations made under section 2E(7)(a) (exempted contracts: no restriction on payment terms) of the Commercial Payments and Interest on...

Member
Lord Lansley (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1097-8
House
House of Lords

My Lords, with Clause 11 and this group we move to the question of retention payments. We should not elide the question of late payments and retention payments, as if they were somehow part of the same argument. They are different arguments. Retention payments are not a late payment; they...

Member
Lord Lansley (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1098-1100
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Lansley for speaking in this debate and introducing his amendments. Banning retention payments is one of the key changes that this Bill will introduce, but it is also one of the most contested, so I will begin by outlining our general position...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1100-1
House
House of Lords

My Lords, the Minister has said in the past that there may be other means to ensure the necessary delivery of projects without retention, and this group is designed to probe those other means. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe, who set out the reasons why we...

Member
Lord Fox (Liberal Democrat)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1101
House
House of Lords

My Lords, I thank the three noble Lords for their amendments in this group and for their contributions.

Taking Amendment 46 first, I reassure the noble Lords, Lord Sharpe and Lord Hunt, that the Bill does not prevent parties in any sector, including construction, making use of payment arrangements through third-party...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 cc1101-3
House
House of Lords

I totally understand where the noble Lord is coming from, of course, and I think we have indicated already that we are broadly supportive of the direction of travel. What he is in

effect saying is that the suppliers have to behave better, reduce defects and do all sorts of...

Member
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1103
House
House of Lords

I think the mere incentive of getting the money earlier will ensure that the service and the quality of work will be done to specification. Otherwise, the claim for compensation will come in, so the whole incentive is to get the work done properly in the first place.

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1104
House
House of Lords

I am most grateful to noble Lords for this short but really rather—forgive the pun—constructive debate. I think we were trying to probe quite how the Government are thinking about the implementation of a ban on retention payments. The Minister was very clear about what the Government are trying to...

Member
Lord Lansley (Conservative)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1104
House
House of Lords

Moved by

Lord Leong

53: Schedule 2, page 48, line 6, at end insert—

“1A In section 110 (dates for payment)—

(a) in subsection (3), for “subsection (1)” substitute “subsection (1)(a)”;

(b) after subsection (3) insert—

“(4) If or to the extent that a contract does not contain such provision as is mentioned in subsection (1)(b),...

Member
Lord Leong (Labour)
Type
Proceeding contributions
Date
21 July 2026
Reference
858 c1105
House
House of Lords