The publication of an inquiry into construction deaths is to be delayed as a result of the Cabinet reshuffle
A source at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the replacement of pensions secretary James Purnell with former housing minister Yvette Cooper would push publication back until at least mid-July.
The source said he believed the inquiry, by Rita Donaghy, former chair of employment relations body ACAS, was complete, but could not be presented to the work and pensions select committee until Cooper was 鈥渦p to speed鈥�.
The DWP said Donaghy would hand over the report to ministers later this month and that it would be published shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile, the industry has expressed anger at the removal of Ian Pearson as construction minister less than nine months after he took the post. As 好色先生TV went to press it was thought that junior minister Ian Lucas, MP for Wrexham, was due to be named as the ninth construction minister in eight years.
Rudi Klein, chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors Group, said he was angered by the decision to keep the construction minister as a junior post. 鈥淚t beggars belief that they are going for a sub-ministerial ranking,鈥� he said.
However, the reshuffled minister at the new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills reaffirmed his commitment to creating a chief construction officer post.
Speaking at the Construction Industry Council annual general meeting, Pat McFadden, minister of state and Peter Mandelson鈥檚 deputy at the department, said it was committed to creating 鈥渁 single point of contact for the industry鈥�.
鈥淲e are in active discussions with the Office of Government Commerce,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is important we have proper governance measures in place.鈥�
He added that the position would be cross-governmental, but refused to give any timeframe for creating it. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know when we will hear about it, but we are very keen on the idea.鈥�
Other changes included the replacement of Margaret Beckett as housing minister by John Healey; Vernon Coaker became schools minister.
Who鈥檚 the new boy?
Ian Lucas is bit of a newcomer in government circles, having only been assistant whip since October 2008. Construction is not one of his avowed interests, although as MP for Wrexham he did meet bosses at JCB in January after they sacked 58 workers in his constituency. He has a distinctly green streak, having asked several questions in parliament about low-carbon buildings and requested that all buildings in the Olympic Park be self-sufficient in energy use. Photovoltaics are a particular interest 鈥� maybe because Sharp鈥檚 PV plant in Wrexham employs 600 of his constituents. Although he was relatively unscathed by the expenses scandal, Lucas claimed 拢1,388 to furnish his London flat. He said: 鈥淚 regard a bed as an essential item.鈥�
The industry reacts
Unfortunately, this revolving door policy for the construction minister no longer comes as a surprise. Soon any minister that makes it to 12 months in the job will qualify for a gold watch for long service. If we are not going to get a minister in the post long enough to get to grips with the intricacies of the issues, we really need a chief construction officer to provide some semblance of continuity.
Julia Evens, chief executive, National Federation of Builders
This government does not appear to take construction very seriously. The industry has had four ministers responsible for construction in two years, despite the fact that our industry accounts for more than 8% of this country鈥檚 GDP, and will inevitably be pivotal in delivering economic recovery.
Rosemary Beales, director, CECA
I鈥檓 angry that there is yet another change of construction responsibility. Given the number of commitments that the government has given the industry in terms of improving procurement and providing more work, it seems strange that it hasn鈥檛 reflected this commitment in ensuring continuity in a ministerial appointment for construction.
Rudi Klein, chief executive, SEC Group
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