鈥淭oo often, government in the past has underrated the importance of our industry,鈥� admitted the construction minister. 鈥淭his 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.鈥�
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鈥檚 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鈥檚 Respect for People campaign.
He said: 鈥淭his 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.鈥�
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: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the hallmark of a successful industry that it has people from a wide degree of backgrounds in it.鈥�
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鈥� school, where he had been unable to persuade anyone to aim for a career in the construction industry. 鈥淭hey all wanted to be lawyers or accountants,鈥� he said.
The minister, who admitted that the government鈥檚 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: 鈥淭he current environment doesn鈥檛 allow good contractors to get into the domestic market because of VAT and regulations.鈥�
Raynsford conceded that the industry鈥檚 image was ruined by the work of cowboy builders on small domestic projects.
