in brief

Merger call for Tarmac

Tarmac should merge its quarrying and materials operations with those of an overseas firm such as Lafarge, according to analysis by NatWest Securities. Either such a merger or house price inflation are required to boost the Group's share price.



ICE contract goes CDM

New ICE Conditions of Contract clauses have been published to comply with the CDM safety regulations which took effect from 31 March. The clauses are described as setting out the framework for compliance with the regulations within the ICE form.



Plumbing chief quits

Allan Robinson has resigned as director of the National Association of Plumbing Heating and Mechanical Services Contractors. Steve Muscroft has been appointed acting director.



Glaxo opens

The Queen was due to open Glaxo's new œ700 million research centre at Stevenage yesterday. John Laing, in jv with Morrison Knudsen, managed the construction of the facilities which are said to be the biggest investment in science Britain has ever seen.



Steel up

Steel production in the UK averaged 340,000t a week in May. Production in the first three months of 1995 ran to 345,000t a week, 6% ahead of the corresponding period of 1994.



Whitfield joins Arup

Alan Whitfield, former roads programme director at the Highways Agency is joining Ove Arup on 1 May as chief Highways Engineer. The company said Whitfield would 'take a leading role in the development of Arup's transport activities worldwide.'



Mowlem jacks up at Jubilee

Mowlem has successfully jacked a 24m precast concrete box into place under British Rail's London Tilbury and Southend and below London Underground's District Line on its Jubilee Line Contract 111. The box will carry the new line when complete.



Help, please!

Japanese earthquake victims are being exposed to high densities of asbestos and a call has gone out for protective masks. Anyone with spare masks is asked to send a sample first to Jun'ichi Nukushina, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoicho, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan.