Part 1: The Small Business Commissioner Section 3: General advice and information
This section provides the Commissioner with the power to publish, or provide small businesses with, impartial general advice and information which the Commissioner believes may be useful to small businesses in connection with their supply relationships with larger businesses. In considering what may be useful the Commissioner must consider how helpful the advice and information would be in encouraging the small business to resolve and/or avoid disputes. General advice and information may cover contract law principles, legal rights about supplying or buying goods and services, and means of resolving disputes (subsection (3)).
	The Commissioner may publish or provide information to direct small businesses to providers of dispute resolution services, for example directories of authorised mediators who may be able to assist the small business to resolve a dispute with a larger business. The Commissioner may also direct small businesses to regulators or ombudsmen, for example to assist the small business with a concern with a regulated larger business such as a financial services firm (subsection (4)).
	In relation to small businesses’ dealings with public authorities, the Commissioner's function is to direct them to regulators, ombudsmen, adjudicators and other public bodies, that may help the small business resolve a dispute with a public authority and/or give them other types of help (subsection (5)). The Commissioner may also provide small businesses with general advice and information related to statutory rights (where applicable) to refer for adjudication a dispute with a public authority.
	The Commissioner may publish and/or provide general advice and information directly to small businesses or make arrangements with others who will do so (subsection (7)). For example the Commissioner may arrange that he/she must approve the content of information to be published by Government or a business representative body.
	The section also makes provision for the Commissioner to make recommendations to the Secretary of State about the publication or provision of advice and information to small businesses (subsection (8)). This enables any general advice or information for small businesses which is published or provided by the Government, to reflect the Commissioner’s views about what will be useful to small businesses.
	The general advice and information which may be published or provided under this section, may be useful in relation to small businesses' past, current or potential supply agreements with a larger business or public authority, under which small businesses receive or provide goods or services.