NEWSBRIEF

£7m government input for industry research

The government has given £7m to the construction industry to be used on innovation and research projects under this year's Partners in Innovation (PII) scheme. Partners in Innovation 2001 invites bids against two calls: PII Focus, a directed call for proposals against a limited number of priority areas identified in consultation with the industry; and PII Open, a more general call for proposals which meet the overall policy aims of the programme. This year's priority areas are: knowledge management; improving building performance and the role of the client; and designing for safe construction.

Ballast nedam reveals uk loss

Ballast Nedam has revealed its UK construction business made a £1.8m loss in the first half of the financial year. In the same period last year, the business managed to break even. Ballast's board of directors declared the UK result is "unsatisfactory". UK turnover slid to £120m, down £40m.

Tay deems takeover by C&M too risky

Tay Homes has dismissed the takeover offer from Country & Metropolitan at 113p a share on the grounds that it undervalues Tay shares. The Tay board also announced on Monday that it has "serious concerns" over the value of C&M's own shares, adding that C&M future debts would pose an "unacceptable risk". C&M has been building a stake in Tay since October 2000.

Gains slams education system

John Gains, president of the Construction Confederation, speaking at a conference of the British Association of Construction Heads last week, attacked the current education system for failing to promote construction as a worthwhile career and for not providing enough people with relevant qualifications. He said: "Too much emphasis is being laid on the need to obtain a degree and not enough on equipping people with the right skills to do a job. We need our universities to produce more civil engineers, but we also see major opportunities for skilled plasterers, plumbers, carpenters and joiners and bricklayers. We need to work with the education sector to see that these opportunities are fully reached."

Lafarge finalises blue circle acquisition

Lafarge's acquisition of Blue Circle, the UK cement producer, has been finalised and Blue Circle's shares were de-listed from the Stock Exchange last Thursday. Rick Haythornthwaite has stepped down as chief executive of Blue Circle. He becomes a non-executive director of Lafarge.

Clegg sees record growth

Nottingham-based construction group Clegg, has enjoyed a period of record growth, with the latest 12-month turnover jumping 10% to £50m. Much of the growth came from specialist subsidiary Clegg Food Projects, winning both new build and extension schemes, and Clegg's development arm, Nutbrook Developments. Clegg declined to reveal any pre-tax profit details.

Health & safety blitz shows poor results

Results from a recent health and safety blitz are a "disappointment" according to the Health & Safety Executive after handing out 12 prohibition notices. The two-day swoop was carried out by five inspectors across 44 construction sites in the London Borough of Camden. HSE's construction inspector Michael La Rose said notices were served for the lack of protection from high falls, inadequate fire precautions, no harnesses for scaffolders and the improper erection of scaffolding.