Construction minister Brian Wilson this week promised to improve the government's track record over procurement, in order to avoid any more Picketts Lock-style disasters.
In his first interview, Wilson told 好色先生TV that he intends to chivvy other ministers into taking responsibility for best practice issues, and openly admitted that the government had to bear some of the blame for fiascos such as Picketts Lock, Wembley and the Millennium Dome.

He said: "There should be more pre-planning and greater standardisation of procurement."

Wilson also announced this week that Alan Crane, current chairman of the Movement for Innovation, would become chairman of a new body to oversee the government's Egan initiatives. The Rethinking Construction umbrella body will oversee the Movement for Innovation, the Housing Forum and the Local Government Construction Task Force. Mace chief executive Bob White will replace Crane as M4I chairman.

In his interview with 好色先生TV, Wilson also said he intended to make the industry more at home in the DTI and confirmed that it will have its own team of civil servants. He said the industry was a special case because it affected so many other industries. He said: "Construction is special because of its significant contribution to the economy and the number of people it employs."