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In the third quarter survey 43% reported a rise in enquiries whilst 22% indicated a decline, so the underlying trend in enquiries, and therefore the prospective trend in workload in the medium term, appeared still to be relatively strong. This time, however, only a third report a rise, whilst the proportion saying enquiries were lower in the fourth quarter than the third is a point higher at 34%. The -1 overall balance is the poorest result from this question at any time in the past three years.
Table 5 shows, however, that there are some very substantial differences in the results for this question between builders and specialist contractors, with the builders still displaying a small positive balance of the 'higher' and 'lower' proportions of replies, and between the regions. Both the East and West Midlands again show up poorly, and here also there is a negative result for the South East, again despite a positive one for firms operating principally in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. By comparison, the strongest result is that for respondents from Wales, nearly half of which report a rise in enquiries, followed by those for East Anglia, London, and the South West.
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Table 6 shows that there are negative balances of 'higher' and 'lower' proportions of replies for enquiries for all types of work, the weakest result being that for enquiries regarding new construction and refurbishment of industrial buildings for private clients. More notable than this, however, are the smaller negative balances for repair and maintenance of non-residential buildings for private sector clients, which was last negative in the final quarter of 1999, and for RM&I of private housing, which has never been negative since the survey was reorganised at the start of that year.
First posted: 1 February 2002. Last modified: 4 February 2002.
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