Concern over contracts Bill hold-up

A promised Government consultation paper on legislation to outlaw unfair contract terms is now unlikely to appear before the local council elections on 4 May.

Allan McDougall, of the Constructors Liaison Group, said this week: 'I find this delay most worrying. The document is already late. It means there can only be a very short consultation period if legislation is to be ready for inclusion in the Queen's Speech to Parliament next October.'

Sources at the Department of the Environment have warned that the consultation document will probably not be published before 4 May.

The delay follows a statement from Construction Minister Lord Ullswater that the Government is 'looking for alternatives to legislation for achieving the Latham report's objectives'.

This confirmed the view of many in the industry that the Government would avoid bringing in legislation if possible. The issue has been the subject of a major debate since Latham reported last summer.