Crucial construction report could be delayed

The deadline for the government's response to the Business & Enterprise Committee's report on construction could slip because new minister Ian Pearson has just three weeks to get to grips with the issues.

Industry interest groups also face a scramble to get to know the new minister and make their final representations to government before the deadline.

The final date for the government's response to the report, which recommended the creation of a new chief construction officer when it was published in July, was set for the end of October. But a spokeswoman for the Business & Enterprise Committee indicated that the date was flexible and could be pushed back at the request of Pearson.

No request has yet been received by the Committee.

Pearson, the eighth construction minister since 2001, holds the title of economic and business minister, a role that crosses Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Treasury. He has responsibility for 10 industries, of which construction is one.

Specialist Engineering Contractors Group chief executive Rudi Klein described the latest change to the construction minister as frustrating. "We want to know that he is behind all the recommendations in the report and how he is going to make those happen. The civil service has been working on the response. But we've got to look at the outcome of that with him."

Pearson's many responsibilities

• Business sectors (aerospace, marine and defence automotive bioscience and pharmaceuticals chemicals construction environmental industries manufacturing, materials and engineering retail and services)
• Sustainable development and regulation (waste electrical and electronic equipment issues)
• Business support simplification, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, Companies Act implementation and Companies House, export control and Export Credits Guarantee Department.