Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to help businesses in the construction sector outside London.

I am replying on the behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Government is actively working to help all construction firms including those outside London. We are working with the industry to remove barriers to growth by improving the planning system and access to finance, and easing the burden of regulation.

On the demand side, we are stimulating the house building industry - in Autumn Statement 2013 my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £1bn extension of the Local Infrastructure Fund for large scale housing sites, to unlock around 250,000 homes over 6 years. We are also stimulating infrastructure development. The National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) sets a strategic vision for forthcoming infrastructure needs. It has identified a pipeline of over 500 projects costing around £250bn to 2015 and beyond.

On the supply side, we are working closely with the Construction Leadership Council to ensure that the industry is well placed to respond to growing markets, tackling issues such as skills, innovation, sustainability, productivity, efficiency and export performance.