If I was in charge . . .

We are now within a year of the next general election and both major parties will be setting out their stalls and despite much comment of us living in a post ideological age there still remains many sharp differences between the parties on many issues.

The main part of my brief is transport and I think that this Government's vendetta against the motorist is a case in point. But the second part of my brief is construction and this in one area where a good deal of common ground does exist between the parties.

The current government has continued to build on the policies of the Thatcher and Major years and a re-elected Tory Government's approach would be for continuity rather than change.

So in order to answer the question "what difference would a change of government make?" I will concentrate on what does divide us and a few areas that I would wish to make a priority for a new Government.

Taxes

The general point I would make is that this government that has substantially added to the burdens of businesses. Not only by signing up to Euro Regulations like the Working Time Directive but the very heavy burden of rising taxation. Stealth taxes eventually have to be paid by for by employers. Higher fuel taxes, the landfill tax, the climate change levy, IR35 and the construction industry scheme are all adding major burdens to the construction industry.

So a new Conservative government would be committed to fighting Euro Regulations and keeping the tax burden down.

Exercise in stupidity

The construction industry scheme, which I and many of my colleagues have criticised, has been a remarkable exercise in stupidity by a department, the Treasury, which is meant to have the best brains in Whitehall. Despite the industry making sensible suggestions for reform of the scheme, the Inland Revenue has compounded this mistake by rejecting the changes. I hope a solution is found - but I suspect that next year I will have to sort this mess out with the Treasury as a first priority.

The £500 million estimated that IR35 will raise for the Treasury is bound to have a heavy impact on the building industry. We are committed to review this tax that will drive many of our most talented people abroad.

I’m sorry to go on about tax but I
believe taxes are the biggest issue
the industry faces

I'm sorry to go on about tax but I believe taxes are the biggest issue the industry faces. More specifically I've always felt that the image of the industry is poor and a lot of this is down to cowboy builders. And although you cannot absolve the many people who think they are getting a cheap job or a bargain, nevertheless we must do more to tackle this problem.

Quality Mark

In the Summer I welcomed the Government's Quality Mark scheme and the pilots in Birmingham and Somerset, but despite high hopes it looks like a failure. A Christmas launch has now been put back to Easter.

If a voluntary scheme does not work then we will have to discuss with the industry whether a compulsory scheme is necessary.

Safety is something no one can be complacent about with over 4000 serious accidents a year on sites this would be a high priority for a new Conservative government. I think the "working well together" industry roadshows have been a success and I would wish to build on this.

Training, the perennial problem of the industry, would be a priority. We support the retention of the CITB, which does good work, but I am concerned that our Universities are teaching fewer civil engineers and students of building management. This must be reversed. If we can get the image right we will get young people into the industry.

Advocate for the industry

It is also important for a construction minister to be an advocate for the industry in government and parliament. The average parliamentary Constituency has 2,600 people employed in construction. If this point was better known and understood by MP's I do not believe that the industry would have suffered as much from politicians.