The recent publication of “One death is too many”, a report into the underlying causes of construction fatal accidents by the secretary of state for work and pensions produced welcome recommendations

In particular, the suggestion to establish a full-time minister for construction is worthy of serious debate and consideration.

The Scottish Building Federation has previously campaigned for the Scottish government to include a full-time minister responsible for construction. Employing more than 200,000 Scottish workers and contributing billions in private investment to the Scottish economy, construction is an industry that is strategically important enough to Scotland to warrant its own minister.

A dedicated Scottish construction minister would be responsible for ensuring that the sector gets the support it deserves, be that in the form of continued support for the thousands of apprentices the industry takes on each year or additional investment in public infrastructure to sustain industry capacity and jobs.

Michael Levack, chief executive, Scottish Building Federation

Topics