“Too often, government in the past has underrated the importance of our industry,“ admitted the construction minister. “This government is determined to maintain steady growth and avoid the boom and bust that led to the hire-and-fire culture of the late 1980s.”
Raynsford emphasised the significance of the sector for the overall economy, adding that Labour would maintain stable economic conditions to ensure future success.
He praised the industry’s take-up of the 1998 Egan report, with the reservation that smaller companies had been slower to respond to the changes, and called on the industry to show patience over improvements in health and safety and training, both of which come under the DETR’s Respect for People campaign.
He said: “This initiative will not change the world overnight. But if we all keep chipping away, it will work. The message has to be integrated into the industry.”
Raynsford admitted that persuading women and ethnic minorities to join the industry was a tough challenge but stressed that it was essential to do so. He added: “It’s the hallmark of a successful industry that it has people from a wide degree of backgrounds in it.”
The government is determined to maintain steady growth and avoid boom and bust
Nick Raynsford
He told the 35-strong audience about a recent visit he had made to a west London girls’ school, where he had been unable to persuade anyone to aim for a career in the construction industry. “They all wanted to be lawyers or accountants,” he said.
The minister, who admitted that the government’s anti-cowboy initiative was making slow progress, came under fire from delegates over the rate of VAT levied on domestic construction work.
Federation of Master Builders chairman Malcolm Clarke said the policy was cowboy builders a competitive advantage. He said: “The current environment doesn’t allow good contractors to get into the domestic market because of VAT and regulations.”
Raynsford conceded that the industry’s image was ruined by the work of cowboy builders on small domestic projects.
