The Margin couldn't help thinking what a delicious piece of irony a British government scheme to rein in cowboy builders turned out to be.

Only two builders were granted a quality mark - which is supposed to give a guarantee against shoddy or careless workmanship - since the pilot scheme was launched in May. Earlier this week the construction minister, Nick Raynsford, wrote to the 900 builders who expressed an interest in the scheme and offered to pay £350 towards the registration charge. This charge starts at £500 for businesses with annual turnovers of less than £100,000. Couldn't happen here, could it?