Prescott: 'We've set targets and I'm going to damn well deliver on them'

Then, housing associations such as Hyde and Guinness Trust went before the deputy prime minister to demand backing for "modern methods of construction" – the phrase that has become a euphemism for off-site manufacturing and that is at the core of the "step change" Prescott says is needed to boost housing supply in the South-east.

Hyde chief executive Charlie Adams and Simon Dow, chief executive of the Guinness Trust, persuaded the deputy prime minister that there was huge potential in the use of techniques such as modular housing and precast concrete.

They asked Prescott to convince suppliers that OSM investment would not be wasted because the government would fund it.

However, the key for Prescott is delivery. At the offsite03 exhibition at the Building Research Establishment in Watford last Friday, he told Housing Today:

"I think there's willingness to do it, but I want everyone to know that I'll be watching every move. We've set targets and I'm going to damn well deliver on them and they're going to deliver for me.

"I just want to make sure that there's no unnecessary delay at the early stages that prevents us from delivering at the later stages. This where you really need to make the effort early on. I want the industry to know I'm watching every day how fast we're moving."

This sense of urgency was obvious from his questions to off-site technology suppliers at the exhibition. "How busy are you? What can I do to make things easier? What are the problems you face?" he asked.

The answers he received were predictable. "The planners aren't open to new ideas." "We have plenty of capacity and are just waiting for the orders."

Given that Prescott has delivered the cash – some £250m – that housing associations and suppliers craved, it is not surprising he wants them to explain why change is slow in coming. Expect sparks to fly.