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Following Terry Wyatt's reasoned but impassioned opening address, full as it was of fact, interpretation and challenge, must have been difficult for him as, in truth, he had little new to say.

The Minister must be pleased though, that far from being a backward, ill organised and fractured community there is a real feeling of purpose and ambition that will help his efforts to assist the construction sector under the emerging outcomes of the DTI innovation review.

What we should be driving for (and Nigel Griffiths is our best agent to help us) is nothing less than a dedicated ministry with real brief to bring together all the agencies that presently dabble in the built environment field.

Construction activity at 10% of gdp is larger than agriculture, and the products of our work are the single largest influence of UK carbon emissions. If we are to lead Europe in design and construction of the places we will live and work in for the next 100 years it will take joined up government as well as joined up industry to achieve this.