HC Deb 04 April 2000 vol 347 c411W
25. Mr. Quinn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his plans to improve quality standards in the construction industry. [116169]

Ms Beverley Hughes

I am pleased to announce that this week the first pilot of the quality mark scheme—in Birmingham—is being opened to builders who want to join. A list of approved builders will be available to consumers in the city later in the summer. The pilots in Birmingham and, later, Somerset are a key stage in testing and developing the scheme. Once we have extracted the lessons from them we will review the quality mark and then roll it out across the country.