Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of small businesses in (a) Warrington and (b) the north-west owed money by Carillion; and what the average amount owed is.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have established a Taskforce to support businesses affected by the Carillion. The taskforce includes representatives from leading business bodies, the construction sector, unions, banks and government to advise how to mitigate impacts on the supply chain and employees. The Taskforce has made good progress in exchange of information, collaborations, and to identify key actions that need to be taken.

The Official Receiver was appointed liquidator of Carillion Plc and a number of companies in the Carillion group. In this role as liquidator he is independent of government. As part of his duties, the Official Receiver will establish the creditor claims in the liquidation.