Marketing spend on Green Deal less than 3% of DECC’s energy...

RCI’s freedom of information request shows DECC spent around £6m on publicising the scheme over 26 months, with no efforts made between April 2015 and the Green Deal’s closure in July

Build UK launches industry action plan

New body set to tackle the image of the construction industry, skills shortages, late payment, the pre-qualification process and improve health and safety

Third of central Government spending to go to SMEs

Cabinet Office announces plans for new target of £1 for every £3 spent to go to small and medium-sized firms by 2020

Latest survey points to seven years of success for the construction...

Markit/CIPS PMI for August finds the sector remains in a period of sustained growth, with job creation buoyed by rising workloads in house-building and commercial work

New home registrations continue to build

NHBC’s latest figures show a continued increase in the number of new homes registered throughout the UK

Legal win for Saint Gobain in Sika takeover bid

‘Opt-out’ clause holds up in Swiss court, allowing Saint-Gobain to take controlling stake without making a public offer to shareholders

Government aims to increase apprenticeships with new proposals

New package of measures include apprenticeship levy, changes to Government procurement and new industry standards outlining skills needed across several apprenticeships

Construction degree applications increase

Early UCAS figures show an 8% rise in the number of applicants to construction degrees at university

CITB to launch new funding system for training

Current flexible funding streams to be cut from 40 to two, with a simplified system expected to offer a faster and more efficient application process for employers

Growth expected to continue for the construction industry

CPA forecasts expect output in the sector to grow by 21.7% by 2019, but calls for significant investment in building a skilled workforce to support growth