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Despite her genteel title, it is unlikely that Baroness Vadera will wilt in the face of brawny contractors. The 45-year-old Uganda-born former investment banker has reportedly been a forceful presence in Whitehall since she joined the Treasury in 1999 and became a close adviser to Gordon Brown. The new construction minister鈥檚 expertise is said to be in PPPs 鈥� she was Brown鈥檚 chief negotiator during the part-privatisation of London Underground. However, it seems in her nature to keep a low profile 鈥� Bob Kiley, the Transport for London boss, claimed that during the tube negotiations he found her weeping after all the available exits were barred by reporters.

Nicknamed Shriti the Shriek in Whitehall, Vadera has been called the prime minister鈥檚 enforcer and, along with Ed Balls, his representative on earth. Her gutsy approach to sensitive issues was highlighted during the demise of Railtrack in September 2001, when she dismissed the company鈥檚 shareholders as 鈥済rannies who would lose their blouses鈥�.

In the plus column, the former Oxfam trustee鈥檚 proximity to Brown is good news for the industry. A Construction Confederation spokesperson said: 鈥淚t can鈥檛 do any harm. We need to look for any advantage we can get when dealing with the government.鈥� Their first meeting is scheduled within 10 days.

In the minus column is the fact that construction is one of 13 sectors she will cover. And as she is the seventh construction minister in as many years, the industry will also be dubious about her shelf-life. Mark Prisk, the shadow construction minister, likened his job to shadowing Doctor Who: 鈥淓very six months or so there鈥檚 a new face.鈥�

If Vadera鈥檚 political biography resembles Lady Macbeth鈥檚, Caroline Flint, the new housing minister, is closer to Mary Poppins.

鈥淪elf-righteous鈥�, 鈥済oody two-shoes鈥� and a 鈥�(barely) human football rattle鈥� are some of the nicer names applied to the Don Valley MP since she was elected in 1997. Perhaps the 46 year old鈥檚 best know moniker is that of 鈥淪upernanny鈥�, earned from her public health campaigns 鈥� although her recently stated desire to evict council tenants who do not look for work may change that perception.

Flint steered the English smoking ban through the House of Commons 鈥� admitting along the way to smoking cannabis in the eighties. The mother of three has also spoken out against irresponsible drinking, with middle-class wine gluggers coming in for particular ire. This intervention caused Boris Johnson to accuse Flint of attempting to 鈥渟tamp her own mark, like Baron Philippe de Rothschild, on every bottle we buy鈥�.

Flint is also known for the informal Westminster poll that found her to be the 鈥渕ost fanciable MP鈥�. She is also a member of the House of Commons dancing troupe the 鈥淒ivision Belles鈥�, and as a girl was taught dancing by Bonnie Langford鈥檚 mother.

She will have to be a political performer now, as her role comes with a seat in the Cabinet. The housing industry, though, knows little of the woman who has to deliver 3 million new homes by 2020 and make all new ones zero carbon from 2016. Alan Cherry, the Countryside Properties chairman, says: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anything about her. I hope she picks up the baton quickly. Change tends to slow the process down, and we can鈥檛 afford that to happen.鈥�

This may, however, prove a blessing for a sector that was growing increasingly frustrated with Yvette Cooper, Flint鈥檚 predecessor. One former civil servant said: 鈥淚 know little about her, but she can hardly be more indecisive than Yvette.鈥�

Another regeneration source said: 鈥淪he might make a few more decisions. The civil servants were cheering when Cooper left.鈥�

Flint鈥檚 own website makes a telling point, however: her interests cover everything from asbos to foreign affairs, but there is no mention of housing or the built environment.