Finance Minister Sammy Wilson reiterated the Executive's commitment in doing everything it can to assist Northern Ireland's construction industry get back on its feet.

The Minister was responding to the latest figures released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) published in the Northern Ireland Construction Bulletin for Q3.

The Construction Output Statistics provide a general measure of change in real terms in the output of the Construction Industry in Northern Ireland.

The results are primarily used by National Accounts in the calculation of the output measure of UK Gross Domestic Product. The results are also used by Northern Ireland Government Departments, Economists, Construction Industry Analysts and Academics to understand the state of the construction sector in Northern Ireland and the wider Northern Ireland economy.

Mr Wilson said: "It is very disappointing to note that the total volume of construction output in Northern Ireland in the third quarter of 2012 has fallen again reflecting the harsh economic climate being faced by our construction sector.

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"I want to take this opportunity to reiterate the Executive's total commitment to assisting, where possible, the construction industry in Northern Ireland, including the local Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are crucial for building our future.

"Collectively government is the largest client of the industry. The Executive has allocated over £100million of public expenditure on structural maintenance alone during this financial year with a further boost following the January monitoring round for our roads infrastructure.

"I also announced this week £11.8million of funding for new housing schemes which is part of the UK Government's 'Get Britain Building' initiative. This will provide a much needed boost to our local housing market and ultimately our construction sector."

Continuing the Minister said: "I recently announced the introduction of Project Bank Accounts which will significantly change the way government pays contractors, and their subcontractors, who have been awarded government construction contracts. This will accelerate their cash flow and give certainty on timing of payments benefitting subcontractors who are, in many cases, fundamental to the work on many construction projects.

"We have taken forward a number of measures including simplifying the tender process and working in partnership with the industry to improve prompt payment throughout the supply chain; publicising government tendering opportunities widely through a single website; and, producing procurement guidance aimed to encourage SME participation."

(CD)