David Cameron has called for the CDM regs to be cancelled and has forced issue into House of Commons

The revised Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations are to be debated in parliament after Conservative leader David Cameron called for them to be cancelled.

David Cameron
Cameron has called for cancellation of new CDM regs

Cameron proposed an early day motion calling for the new CDM regulations to be annulled, and Building has learned that as a result they will now receive a full debate in the House of Commons.

Although the new regulations have received broad support from the construction industry, client and property trade bodies say they place an undue burden on small and medium sized businesses, and could leave them vulnerable to prosecution.

The CDM regulations – due to come into force next month - place additional safety responsibilities for workers on construction sites directly with the client, but the Construction Clients’ Group says the regulations should be combined with the Planning and Building Regulation regimes.

The Goup also says that the package of rules has not been sufficiently debated by British industry. James Preston-Hood, the group’s chair of health and safety said: “We simply want better regulation that will improve health and safety, a commitment by Government to a timetabled review of CDM with Planning and Building regulations, and sufficient time for companies affected to be made fully aware of their new obligations.”