Builders confident about delivery of National Development Plan

Builders can deliver on the National Development Plan but need the certainty of Government pledges on investment to allow them to do so, says the Construction Industry Federation’s (CIF) Hubert Fitzpatrick.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said on Friday that while the Government may need to speed up work on the National Development Plan, the Republic does not have the resources to do this.

However, Mr Fitzpatrick, director general of the CIF, maintained that the industry could deliver, but would need a “clear pipeline” of projects to allow it to invest in the resources required to build infrastructure.

“The Government’s commitment to investing in the National Development Plan is critical for providing this certainty to support investment and growth in the sector,” he argued.

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Mr Fitzpatrick welcomed the ESRI’s call for increased housing targets. He stressed that the State needed infrastructure, including transport, schools, hospitals and utilities, in order to meet these.

He said the industry was confident that it could recruit enough workers to complete national construction projects.

“In 2019, there were 145,600 employed in the construction sector, growing to 167,400 by quarter three 2023,” he pointed out.

“The industry labour force grew by almost 22,000 despite difficult years, which included Covid.”

Mr Fitzpatrick said that while the industry needed workers, the demand was not insurmountable.

“The importance of a clear pipeline of work to attract employees and give them confidence that they can build a future is crucial,” he stressed.

The CIF boss noted that 6,500 new apprentices had registered in 2023 alone, while there were more than 23,000 in training.