Amended Late Payment Legislation in Force Today

A new package of measures to combat late payment - including allowing businesses owed money to claim up to Ј100 in debt recovery costs for time spent chasing each overdue bill - comes into force today.

Small Business Sector Grew in 2001

New figures published today show there was a net increase of more than 20,000 firms operating in the UK in 2001 compared to the previous year - equivalent to over 60 new businesses starting up every day.