At the top of the slope | Features

Focus on the regions
A breakdown of activity levels and order books around the UK reveals that Wales has usurped the position of the nation’s powerhouse, with Scotland and East Anglia also going strong
	Activity level			Order books
	Mar	Apr	May	Mar	Apr	May
Scotland	62	54	65	38	44	50
Northern Ireland	41	36	60	31	27	38
North England	58	70	54	48	58	52
North-west England	53	52	41	40	40	29
Yorkshire & Humberside	48	47	53	40	42	44
Wales	59	65	82	58	40	67
East Midlands	63	41	58	49	39	60
West Midlands	61	55	49	41	41	34
East Anglia	56	34	62	33	40	40
South-east	47	48	45	37	42	42
South-west	67	53	50	46	52	53
*An index measure of 50 indicates no change, a measure greater than 50 an increase and a measure less than 50 a decrease.