The Conservative party is conducting a review of the Building Regulations, with the intention of simplifying them if it wins the next general election.

Mark Prisk, the shadow construction minister, said a team led by John Redwood was looking at making regulations “less prescriptive”.

He said the Tories wanted “root and branch” reform. “We’ve been watching the way that Part L has been implemented. Companies have been given little time to train people and to understand the regulations.”

He added that a Conservative government was likely to focus on industrial sector representation rather than regions, raising the possibility of a return to a dedicated construction minister.