§ Mr. John Ellisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any new arrangements to propose for consultation with the construction industry.
§ Mr. FreesonMy right hon. Friend and I are keen to maintain regular contact with representative bodies in the industry, and have been considering what arrangements are now most appropriate for this purpose. I believe that the National Consultative Council of the Building and Civil Engineering Industries is indispensable as a forum in which representatives of a wide range of interests can meet Ministers and make their views known on the major questions of the day, and its sub-committees provide a focus for questions of concern to particular sectors or interests. I also attach importance to the work of the two economic development committees for building and civil engineering, on which my Department is represented. I believe that they have a significant part to play in exploring the problems of the industry and in developing the role of construction in the industrial strategy. I will be consulting them on this.
Beyond this, there is always a need for informal and flexible means of consultation and constructive discussion. The representative leaders of the main sectors of the industry have recently established an informal group which has had valuable discussions with my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as well as with my right hon. Friend and myself. My right hon. Friend and I welcome this initiative on the part of the industry itself. It suggests, however, that the role of the Construction Industry Liaison Group, which I appointed two years ago for a similar purpose, has now been superseded. I accordingly propose to discontinue this body, but in doing so I should like to record my gratitude to its members for their wise advice and unstinting support at a time of exceptional difficulty for the industry.