Construction: Materials

(asked on 17th June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the extent of the shortage of supply of cement and building materials for the construction industry; what discussions he has had with industry bodies to tackle shortages; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Anne-Marie Trevelyan Portrait
Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 25th June 2021

The Government is aware that some building materials are in short supply nationally. At present, supply of these products is not keeping pace with demand, and strong demand during 2020 reduced existing stocks. Within this, the Government is aware of particular concerns about the supply of timber, which is of critical importance to the construction sector. However, the UK exports a very limited amount of timber or timber-based products, and supply constraints in the UK are created by a shortage of supply on global markets.

The Construction Leadership Council’s Coronavirus Task Force has established a Product Availability Working Group, comprised of product manufacturers, builders’ merchants and suppliers, contractors of all sizes, and housebuilders. The Task Force continues to monitor the supply and demand of products, and identify those in short supply. The Task Force also issues regular statements on product availability. The statements include detailed updates on the availability of specific products in affected material areas in order to keep the market informed. They can be accessed at:

https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/.

Reticulating Splines