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The new UK coalition government has officially appointed its new housing and construction ministers.
Tories Grant Shapps and Mark Prisk have been given the jobs of housing minister and construction minister, respectively.
As opposition MPs, both were shadow ministers. However, Prisk, as minister for state at the department of Business, Innovation and Skills, is more senior than the last construction minister under Labour, Ian Lucas, who performed the role from the position of parliamentary under secretary. Prisk will report in to business secretary Vince Cable. He was the Conservative Party representative at the launch of the pan-industry Get Britain Building Campaign last year.
When shadow, Shapps had been very vocal in his dislike of the controversial Housing Information Packs; it has now been confirmed that these will be scrapped, though there is no set timetable for their end. The Energy Performance Certificates part of the HIOP will be retained.
