A list obtained by the Daily Telegraph showed 177 quangos which could be scrapped under the government’s cost cutting drive.

It also detailed public training bodies which could be privatised including the “Construction and Skills Training Board”.

Mark Farrar, Chief Executive, CITB-ConstructionSkills said: “Media reports arising from a leaked list published first in The Telegraph on Friday and widely reported in the news elsewhere, names 177 bodies to be scrapped, 4 bodies to be privatised and 129 to be merged.  If the list is to be believed, CITB-ConstructionSkills is one of the bodies to be privatised.

“We had no prior warning of this and it is unclear at the moment if the leaked list is the final one – or what is meant by ‘privatisation’ in our case.

“We have good relations with government and have a number of meetings in the diary with Mark Prisk MP, Construction Minister and John Hayes, Minister for Educations, Skills and Lifelong Learning, where we will endeavour to clarify our position.

“Our main focus is to make sure that we add value to our industry in the most effective way. Over the last eighteen months we have streamlined our operation and, this week, we have been looking at a range of options for our future with our industry-led Board. We will take the opportunity to discuss this further with the Board on 12 October.”