It’s our desire to give you as members, a strong voice to policy makers and public servants. The concerns you raise feed into our lobbying work and are vital in providing strong analysis of the situation on the ground. In the last couple of months some key issues have been raised.
Reviewing the role of CITB NI
The FMB has been involved with some internal Department of Finance discussions around the validity of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and its levy collection on our members. Feedback to the department has included:
- Need for more transparency in how grant funding is accessed for SMEs.
- Is the current levy system delivering the industry value?
- Heavy administration costs seem to be core use of funds.
- More practical training relevant to industry is needed.
- Consider the value of industry contributions to outcomes by CITB NI.
NI Water connections issues
The FMB has been to the fore with media and policy makers highlighting the lack of adequate connection options, particularly for new build developments. For many years we have been warning of how this issue would affect industry. Now some 19.000 homes in the planning and development stage are delayed by poor investment in basic water systems!
Economy Committee presentation
FMB Northern Ireland Director, Gavin McGuire was part of a housing panel presenting to the Committee of eight Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) on the need for a retrofit program and funding to assist those involved. The chronic housing shortage and planning issues were part of the discussions as well ahead of the Program for Government being launched.
The relevant part of the meeting can be viewed at 2 hours, 42 mins on Youtube:
Meeting with Head of NI Civil Service- Jayne Brady
Discussions with Jayne Brady and the Department Permanent Secretaries for Finance, Health, Communities and Health took place last month. These focused on:
- prompt payment and the challenges of late payments
- air and consistent procurement practices across the public sector
- realistic costing
- how to involve more SMEs in public sector contracts
We will continue these dialogues and champion the vital role FMB members will play in delivering the Program for Government.
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