Business

Lack of Executive budget 'risking progress' says construction body

David Henry, President of the CEF speaking at the Construction Employers Federation annual dinner at the Culloden Hotel. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye
David Henry, President of the CEF speaking at the Construction Employers Federation annual dinner at the Culloden Hotel. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye David Henry, President of the CEF speaking at the Construction Employers Federation annual dinner at the Culloden Hotel. Picture by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

THE lack of an agreed Executive budget is 'risking progress' according to the Construction Employers Federation.

Speaking at the group's annual dinner at the Culloden Hotel last night David Henry said Northern Ireland can no longer rely on the block grant as its main source of investment and a spirit of ambition and innovation must be developed to help stimulate and unlock infrastructure potential.

"The public purse has to be innovative both to grow the quantum of finance available to government clients and to de-risk the investments that the private sector should be making, particularly in respect of our dire need for a pipeline of new office development," he said.

Mr Henry said a "coherent and united" Northern Ireland Executive was required to make this vision a reality.

“From our perspective, the lack of strategic planning that has blighted the spending plans of Northern Ireland government clients is a huge matter of concern. Without an agreed Executive budget which deals with many pressing issues we are risking the progress that had been made in areas like streamlining the procurement pipeline and agreeing seven flagship projects for delivery," he said

Addressing the 300-strong crowd the Federation chief added that the industry had been "negatively singled out" as a consequence of the impact of the Apprenticeship Levy, introduced earlier this month.

"No matter who you would speak to in government over the last two years, the message was clear – we understand that it is not sustainable for the construction industry to be paying two levies as of April 2017. And now, for all that ‘understanding’, our industry stands here in the unsustainable position that we had all feared."