• SMEs still waiting 67 days to be paid, despite 30 day rule.
• Big business and Government agencies continue to demand and take “free trade credit” from vulnerable SMEs.
• 83% of SMEs favour a mandatory 30 day payments regime with no opt-out.
• ISME demands that Taoiseach and Government be more decisive on payments issue.

ISME, Friday 29^th March 2013. 

ISME, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, has welcomed the improvement in commercial payments in the first quarter of the year, at the launch of the SME Credit Watch Survey, today (29^th March). While the overall credit has improved, the Association continued its demand for a strict statutory 30 day payment regime for all businesses trading within Ireland, to be phased in over 3 years, which should be championed by Taoiseach. Read the rest of this entry »

• Change in legislation will increase Late Payments.
• SMEs waiting 71 days to be paid.
• Big business and Government agencies ignore Directive, while demanding and taking “free trade credit” from vulnerable SMEs.
• 11 year old Prompt Payments legislation not fit for purpose.
• 78% of SMEs favour a mandatory 30 day payments regime with no opt-out.

ISME, Friday 15^th March 2013.

ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, has called on the Government to come out from behind the façade of the ineffectual Late Payments legislation and take a much stronger hand in ensuring that SMEs in Ireland are paid on time. The Association rubbished the new EU directive to be transposed into Irish law tomorrow and demanded a strict statutory 30 day payment regime for all businesses trading within Ireland, to be phased in over 3 years. Read the rest of this entry »

•    Big business demanding and taking excessive “free trade credit” from vulnerable SMEs.
•    IBEC ignoring Government invitations to discuss Fair Pay initiative.
•    SMEs waiting 71 days to be paid, despite 30 day rule.
•    11 year old Prompt Payments legislation must be amended to help SMEs.
•    78% of SMEs favour a mandatory 30 day payments regime with no opt-out.

ISME, Wednesday 27th February 2013.

ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, has castigated the semi-state and big business lobby group IBEC for ignoring requests from Government and SME businesses to take part in a Fair Payments initiative to reduce the inordinate delays in commercial payments from its members. The Association also demanded that the Government take a much stronger hand in the issue of Late Payments from big business to SMEs in Ireland. Read the rest of this entry »

•    “Think Small First” principle ignored in new EU Directive.
•    SMEs waiting 71 days to be paid, despite 30 day rule.
•    Big business and Government agencies ignore Directive, while demanding and taking “free trade credit” from vulnerable SMEs.
•    11 year old Prompt Payments legislation must be amended to help SMEs.
•    78% of SMEs favour a mandatory 30 day payments regime with no opt-out.

ISME, Tuesday 15th January 2013.

ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, has demanded that the Government take a much stronger hand in the issue of Late Payments to SMEs in Ireland and introduce a strict statutory 30 day payment regime for all businesses trading within Ireland, to be phased in over 3 years. Read the rest of this entry »

•    SMEs waiting 69 days to be paid, despite 30 day rule.
•    Large business and Government agencies ignoring law and instructions.
•    10 year old Prompt Payments legislation must be amended.

ISME, Monday 1st October 2012.

ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, has demanded that the Government take a much stronger hand in the issue of Late Payments to SMEs who are under severe pressure as outlined in the findings of the Autumn SME Credit Watch Survey, released today (1st October). The Association has been warning successive Governments of the dangers of late payments and the vicious cycle created by larger business and government agencies delaying payments to their smaller suppliers. Read the rest of this entry »

•    Contrived delays from Big business and State agencies mean Small Business waiting 69 days average for payment.

•    10 year old prompt payments legislation killing SMEs.

•    84% of respondents favour a mandatory 30 days payment with no exceptions.

•    “Fair Payments Charter” needed in absence of workable prompt payments legislation.

ISME, Monday 25th June 2012.

ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, has warned that smaller enterprises are being placed under severe pressure by deliberately delayed payments. The Summer SME Credit Watch Survey, released today (25th June) clearly shows the disastrous predicament in which vulnerable SME businesses are finding themselves, due to lack of normal payments for goods and services. The current government refuses to tackle this issue, as businesses go to the wall and jobs are lost because of totally inadequate legislation.
Read the rest of this entry »

•HSE blatantly ignoring the Minister’s instructions on Late Payments

•Late Payments a major cause of small business closures.

•Small Business waiting 71 days average for payment.

•Lack of workable prompt payments legislation killing SMEs.

•40% of companies experiencing payment delays of three months and more.

•Big business continues to deliberately delay payments.

ISME, Monday 19th December, 2011

At the publication of the ISME Credit Watch Survey for autumn 2011, the Association has demanded that Government ‘put their money where their mouth is’ when it comes to commercial payments, especially to small and medium businesses who rely on this cashflow to stay in business. State agencies and in particular the HSE, are simply ignoring the instructions from the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation to pay all invoices within 15 days, leaving small businesses short of promised payments with which to pay their own suppliers. Read the rest of this entry »

• Late Payments a major cause of small business closures.

• Small Business waiting 72 days average for payment.

• Thousands of enterprises under threat due to ‘Late Payments’.

• Lack of workable prompt payments legislation killing SMEs.

• Almost half of companies (42%) experiencing payment delays of three months and more.

• Big business and State agencies deliberately delaying payments.

• HSE one of the biggest culprits.
ISME, Monday 26th September, 2011

At the publication of the ISME Credit Watch Survey for autumn 2011, the Association has warned that late payments to small and medium businesses are imposing serious financial constraints, which in many instances are leading to job losses, insolvency and close down. The main culprits are accountancy led big business and the state sector who are delaying payments to their smaller suppliers. This situation has occurred, despite legislation being in place for almost ten years, supposedly to alleviate the situation. Read the rest of this entry »

• Decision to extend payment terms to HSE and local authorities a step in the right direction.

• Association calls for 30 day mandatory payment terms for private sector.
ISME, Monday 30th May 2011.
ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, has welcomed figures released by Minister for Small Business, John Perry, today (Monday 30th May), confirming that, in the main, Government Departments are meeting their requirements to pay suppliers within 15 days. Read the rest of this entry »

•    Impotent payments legislation creating cash flow difficulties for SMEs.

ISME CEO Mark Fielding

•    Contrived delays mean Small Business waiting 72 days average for payment.

•    Big business and State agencies are main culprits.

•    42% of companies experiencing payment delays of over three months.

•    30 Day mandatory credit period must be introduced.

The ISME Credit Watch Survey for winter 2010, released on Monday 20th December shows clearly that smaller enterprises are continuing to suffer because of deliberately delayed payments from both state agencies and larger businesses. Although the number of credit days has reduced and enterprises are waiting less than reported in the last three quarters, the delays are still excessive and are creating cash flow difficulties for small business. Read the rest of this entry »