As an island nation, the British distrust foreigners. Wary of them or not, the simple fact is that alien cultures now pervade UK society. Construction is no different. The sector has been swamped in recent years by overseas takeovers, foreign investments and new entrants to the market, bringing with them new ideas and very different business techniques. And they are here to stay. Last month's sale of family-run Fitzpatrick by the founder's grandson and great granddaughter to Dutch giant VolkerWessels is just the latest in a long line of UK contractors to be taken over by overseas rivals. The Department of Health has been in talks this year with US contractor Halliburton, trying to persuade it to bid for the chronically under-competitive PFI hospitals market - a controversial move as a Halliburton subsidiary is under investigation for its activities in Iraq. The extent of overseas influence is as never before and the debate rages as to whether this is beneficial or detrimental to the UK construction industry.
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