NI construction industry maps out road to recovery

Construction Industry Group of Northern Ireland (CIGNI) launches its ‘Actions for Recovery’

THE Construction Industry Group of Northern Ireland (CIGNI), the umbrella group for a number of well-known representative organizations from across the local construction industry, has today launched its ‘Actions for Recovery’, which, it says, is a potential road map for the Assembly and Executive to bolster the industry and create growth across the Northern Ireland economy.

CIGNI chairman Derek Martin (pictured on right) said: ‘Investment in buildings and infrastructure delivers tangible economic and social benefits quickly. From the new school giving children a better chance of achieving their full potential to the new road reducing accidents and journey times, these projects make a real impact on people’s lives.

‘However, the current approach to delivering this important investment is often not as good as it should be. The failure or delays in delivery of publicly funded projects has serious consequences for Northern Ireland. ‘Actions for Recovery’ sets out the Construction Industry Group’s view on the steps that should be taken to improve delivery and identifies the positive outcomes that will result. This is not a wish list but a set of actions that is clearly achievable.’

Whilst CIGNI recognizes and congratulates the Assembly and Executive for the priority that has been given to the infrastructure investment, the body says there is much work to be done. CIGNI believes urgent action and delivery is required in order to prevent continuing job losses, further company closures, loss of skilled young people and trades people, and increasing negative social consequences being felt by communities across Northern Ireland.

Patsy McGlone MLA (pictured on left), chair of the Assembly All Party Group on Construction, said: ‘The CIG ‘Actions for Recovery’ message is a clear sign of the positive way the industry wishes to engage with government. The message contained within it is similar to that delivered by the cross-party support for the motion I brought to the Assembly last month calling on the Executive to do all that it could to ensure Departments work collaboratively to ensure major infrastructure projects are commissioned and delivered in a timely fashion.’

CIG highlights a number of actions that the Executive and Assembly could take to promote growth, create jobs and address significant social and environmental issues. Among these are:

• Increased investment in water and sewage infrastructure in the short term and the reform of how water services are funded and governed in the medium term.
• Faster delivery of strategically important road and public transport infrastructure.
• Increased public monitoring and scrutiny by the Assembly Committees on the delivery of public building and civil engineering investment programmes with a particular focus, in the short term, on education.
• Using Financial Transactions Capital to support house builders who are unable to access development capital from the banks.
• Urgent action to reduce energy prices in Northern Ireland and prioritize construction of the new North–South interconnector.

The organization says it looks forward, on behalf of the construction industry, to working with the Assembly and the Executive to ensure a growing, sustainable economy that shows Northern Ireland is open for business and which gives confidence to young people that they do have a future living, working, playing and raising a family in the land of their birth.