Calls for chief construction minister appointment mount

The government still has no timetable to appoint a chief construction officer, despite mounting calls to appoint one.

The government announced that it was launching a discussion paper on the appointment of a construction tsar in early October, after a report by the BERR Construction Committee made the post's creation one of its key recommendations.

But a BERR spokeswoman told CJ this week: "We are hoping to issue it shortly, but at the moment there is still no timetable for it. They are still just drawing it together."

Last week, the CBI Construction Council chairman John McDonough called on the government to make an appointment swiftly to help get construction projects moving.

The call came as part of a wider appeal for the government to act on several issues affecting construction. It also urged the government to counter the sudden withdrawal of credit insurance, as well as demanding a swift boost in business lending.