The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) paid 87% of its suppliers within 15 days in the first quarter (Q1) of this year.

That is according to recent data published by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE).

It is a government requirement that all central government departments pay their suppliers within 15 calendar days of receipt of a valid invoice. This is known as “prompt payment”.

This standard also applies to the Health Service Executive (HSE), the local authorities and all other public sector bodies (excluding commercial semi-State bodies)

All government departments and relevant public sector bodies are required to publish quarterly payment performance reports.

The data shows that DAFM issued 5,473 payments to suppliers within 15 days between January and March 2025, which represents 87% of the payments due in the period.

The total value of these payments amounted to almost €39.8 million.

In the first three months of the year, 98% of payments (6,175) valued at €46.1 million were made by the department within 30 days of receiving a valid invoice.

The Department of Education issued just 58% of payments (2,114) within 15 days in Q1 2025, valued at €148.2 million.

The Department of Finance had issued 99% of payments to suppliers in the 15-day window, covering 717 payments worth just over €1 million.

The majority of government departments had paid almost all invoices within 30 days during Q1 2025, with a total of 44,650 payments worth over €960 million issued.