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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of SMEs affected by the liquidation of Carillion.

The nature of Carillion business means that it sub-contracts significant proportions of its work, with the potential for those sub-contractors to sub-contract out further elements. The complexity of the contracting structure is such that it is not possible for Government at this stage in the liquidation process to have a complete picture of the number of SMEs affected.