Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he received reports of market short-selling in relation to Carillion when he offered a contract for HS2 development to an SPV of which Carillion was a composite part.

The Secretary of State did not award the contract himself, he delegated authority to do so to HS2 Ltd. The Secretary of State did not receive reports on the shorting of Carillion shares prior to the award, by HS2 Ltd, of the two Main Works Civils Contracts to the unincorporated Joint Venture.