There is to be no direct replacement for construction minister Richard Harrington, who last week resigned his post over Brexit.
Harrington quit alongside two other ministers in order to vote against Theresa May’s Brexit deal last week.
Now the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has confirmed that there will be no direct replacement for Harrington, with his responsibilities instead shared between other ministers in the department.
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) said it was disappointed by the news. And it warned that in the midst of the already uncertain situation faced by British business because of Brexit, the “lack of effort” to replace the minister and “merely scatter” his duties amongst other ministers, already carrying many responsibilities, is potentially damaging to the construction sector.
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Eddie Tuttle, the CIOB’s director of policy, research & public affairs, said: “It is disappointing in the extreme to see a key part of the British economy, a driver of jobs and growth, drop further down the political agenda, risking more inconsistency and a lack of joined up thinking on built environment policy across government.
“It also presents the possibility of further delays in critical decision making around the agenda to improve quality and safety in the built environment. This is an industry deserving of a champion and a voice able to make itself heard in government. The industry’s contribution to society is often ignored and given that there are those who still believe that the loss of the Chief Construction Adviser role a few years ago was damaging, this is a further blow.”
Ministerial responsibility for construction now falls under Lord Henley, who is a parliamentary under secretary of state in the department. Other responsibilities he holds include: industrial strategy; Lords lead on all BEIS issues; EU single market on-going business; better regulation and regulatory reform; Land Registry; Ordnance Survey; Companies House; life sciences; EU structural funds; local growth.
Since Harrington’s departure, he has also been handed: infrastructure and construction; rail supply chain; defence; maritime and supply chains.
A BEIS Spokesperson said: “All sectors and policy areas have dedicated ministerial oversight.”
