Public sector construction work in Ireland 'must be brought forward'
2008-07-02
Work on public sector construction projects in Northern Ireland must be started soon to address the construction industry's slowdown, the BBC has reported.The Northern Ireland construction industry is seeing its "sharpest slowdown in 12 years" with this year seeing workloads declining at their fastest rate since 1996.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said the lack of private sector construction had come to a "near halt" and planning permission delays had impeded public sector work.
Northern Ireland's assembly executive has been urged to act by the institution as it predicts current work shortages will result in a reduced workforce in the future, causing problems for public sector construction projects.
Rics's construction spokesman John Davidson told the BBC: "Public sector construction work [should be] brought forward as quickly as possible, as delays are exacerbating difficulties in the market linked to the housing sector."
Last month the current decrease in property prices slowed, according to Nationwide. While a 2.5 per cent drop was recorded in May, June saw a 0.9 per cent decline.
