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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July to Question 158694 on Carillion: contracts, if his Department will publish the recommendations of the Government taskforce on how best to mitigate the impact of Carillion’s insolvency.

The Taskforce has a key role in informing and shaping the Government’s response to the company’s liquidation, but it is not a review group and will not publish recommendations. The Taskforce has been focused on taking swift action to mitigate the impacts on the small business supply chain, to support employees and apprenticeships find new employment and for the Taskforce members to help disseminate useful information to their respective shareholders. This has already led to useful collaborations, particularly in relation to work to ensure a swift transaction of construction contracts from Carillion to new contractors to minimise disruptions.

The Taskforce has delivered a range of supportive measures, which include provision made by the Banks of nearly £1bn of support to those affected; Government has made available through the British Business Bank support of up to £100 million to small businesses, through their delivery partners, using the Enterprise Finance Guarantee. HMRC are also helping businesses facing genuine difficulty paying their tax bills through the Business Payment Support Service (BPSS) by offering a range of practical advice and guidance.