Seaborne Freight Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Seaborne Freight

David Hanson Excerpts
Tuesday 8th January 2019

(5 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Chris Grayling Portrait Chris Grayling
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right; that is normal, and we do not actually do enough of it. The Government are frequently criticised for contracting only with big business and not with small business. Ironically, now we are contracting with small business for a small part of a package we need, we are getting criticised for it, so we cannot win either way.

David Hanson Portrait David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)
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Further to the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger), will the Secretary of State confirm that one director of this company owes £580,000 to HMRC from a previous failed administration? Will he say what due diligence was undertaken on that contract? Will he also tell us how we are going to repay that money to the Treasury?

Chris Grayling Portrait Chris Grayling
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I am not going to comment on individual tax affairs. All I am going to say is that due diligence was carried out into the participants in this business and no reason was found why they should not contract with Government.