§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assistance his Department gives to aid the development of the construction industry. [107848]
§ Ms Beverley HughesThe Department operates a sponsorship programme to support the technical and commercial development of the construction industry.
We invest approximately £25 million a year in research and dissemination of best practice to help and encourage the industry to improve its competitiveness and its performance on such issues as sustainability, diversity, health and safety, training etc. This includes over £8 million to support collaborative research with industry.
£000 Financial year 1998–99 1999–2000 Movement for Innovation M4I Board/Local Government Taskforce/Change the Face of Construction/other publicity and conferences 110 615 Housing Forum 0 100 Construction Industry Board (including National Construction Week) 140 155 Construction Best Practice Programme 1,300 2,000 Please note that because a number of expenditures are expected to arise at around the turn of the financial year, out-turns for the current financial year may vary from the above estimates.