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Retentions bill moves to second reading

UK: Following this week’s first reading, the second reading of the bill to protect retention monies under the Construction Act has been scheduled for April 27.

The Construction Retention Deposit Schemes Bill, also known as the Aldous Bill after its presenter Peter Aldous MP, seeks to ensure retention money is held in a deposit protection scheme – thus ending the issue of upstream insolvency and the working capital it takes from the industry and SMEs.

The bill has attracted cross-party support from the Conservative Party, Labour Party, Scottish National Party, Democratic Unionist Party and the Green Party.

The UK contractors’ group BESA and the other supporters of the bill will now be lobbying government and a range of politicians to ensure that the bill gets the time it needs for a second reading.

Latest News

14th October 2026

Arkema launches new R134a replacement

FRANCE: Arkema has announced the release of R516A, a new, lower GWP refrigerant replacement for R134a in HVAC and cooling applications.
13th October 2026

Hitachi launches Air365 Max (Pro) R32 VRF

GERMANY: Launched at this week’s Chillventa show, Air365 Max (Pro) is Hitachi’s latest VRF system for commercial projects and using R32 refrigerant.
13th October 2026

Panasonic adds compact R290 heat pumps

GERMANY:  Panasonic has introduced new compact residential indoor and outdoor units to its Aquarea M Series of R290 air-to-water heat pumps.
13th October 2026

Cyber firm claims over 800 UK supermarkets vulnerable to attack

UK: An internet scan has revealed that more than 800 refrigeration and BMS controllers in the UK are vulnerable to a cyberattack similar to those experienced in France this week.
13th October 2026

Security firm warns on refrigeration asset security

USA: Following Sunday night’s cyberattack on French supermarkets, security company Claroty has warned food retailers that they should not assume that their refrigeration controllers are isolated and secure.
12th October 2026

Danfoss moves to mitigate cyberattack

FRANCE: Danfoss has said it is in close contact with supermarket customers in France affected by a cyberattack on Sunday night on its refrigeration controllers.