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Holyrood opinion poll

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'Blueprint' for building Scotland's future Print E-mail
Monday, 28 January 2008

A series of measures to support Scotland's construction industry would contribute significantly to the Government’s overarching aim of sustainable economic growth, according to the sector's representative organisation.

The Scottish Building Federation will this week unveil its 'post-election manifesto', Blueprint 2008, which calls for:

A Scottish Minister for Construction
Financial incentives to increase the uptake of apprentices
Creation of a construction skills academy in the run up to the Commonwealth Games
Increased support for local authority planning departments
An end to construction delays caused by utility providers
Investment in green construction techniques and skills

The document is a move by the industry for greater recognition from the Government of its importance in shaping Scotland’s development: "Construction is one of Scotland’s greatest success stories of recent years, continually outperforming the rest of the economy, with little strategic support from Government," it says.

"Whilst the sector does not require or enjoy the special status afforded to industries such as agriculture, finance or food and drink, it would benefit from a closer working relationship with the Government. This is particularly important as the industry attempts to negotiate the pitfalls created by the global credit crunch."

At a reception in the Parliament this week, Michael Levack, the federation’s chief executive, will underline the industry’s contribution to Scotland and its potential to drive the economy.

"Growth is not a problem for this industry - but if this Government is serious about growth then the industry needs to be able to operate in an efficient way and at the moment, these issues [skills shortages, planning constraints and utility delays] are a drag on efficiency," Levack told Holyrood.

The federation says that construction is the largest source of private investment north of the border, contributing £12 billion to Scotland’s GDP; twice the contribution of the agriculture sector and almost three times that of the combined utility services. More than 4,000 building, electrical and plumbing apprentices are registered each year.

But the education sector and Government will need to act in order to meet the growing demand for skilled workers, it says, and unless local government and the utility companies become more responsive to the industry then economic growth will be curbed.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 28 January 2008 )
 
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