The government is to finally push through amendments to the Construction Act during the next parliamentary session, Gordon Brown has announced.

Widespread reforms to the act will be made next year to improve payment practices within the construction sector, and tighten up the adjudication procedure.

The measures announced in the Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill will 鈥渋mprove the operation of construction contracts鈥�, including 鈥渋mproving cash flow through construction supply chains and, where appropriate, encouraging parties to resolve disputes by adjudication rather than by litigation鈥�.

The news, announced in the draft Queen鈥檚 Speech, will come as a huge relief to construction bodies and lobby groups after it was left out of the Queen鈥檚 Speech last year.

Rudi Klein, chair of the Specialist Engineering Contractors鈥� Group, said he was 鈥渄elighted鈥� by the news.

He said: 鈥淪ince 2001, we鈥檝e campaigned to plug the holes in this act, and that lobbying has finally paid off.鈥�

Klein added that he and other industry lobbyists would look closely at the 鈥渇ine print鈥� to ensure that amendments would be of benefit.

The draft Queen鈥檚 Speech is a parliamentary announcement to set out the following year鈥檚 legislative programme.