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The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) described the passage of the Construction Contracts Bill as a landmark achievement which will help construction companies and thousands of construction workers.
The CIF were speaking ahead of the final debate on the Bill which is scheduled to take place in Seanad Éireann this afternoon.
The Construction Contracts Bill is a piece of legislation aimed an improving the process of payments within the construction industry. It seeks to remove the possibility of payments being withheld for extended periods of time.
"The news that this Bill has finally been passed by the Oireachtas will be warmly welcomed throughout the construction industry," said CIF Director General Tom Parlon. "It marks the first practical steps that have been taken since the downturn to correct some of the problems that existed within the sector. The whole purpose of this legislation was to ensure that contractors throughout the industry receive the payments they are due in a timely fashion.
"Thankfully the days of contractors having to wait months and years to get paid for work they have already undertaken will now be at an end. This really is a landmark achievement for our industry and its benefits will be felt in the future by construction companies all over the country as well as thousands of construction workers.
"This is the 1,168th day that this Bill has been on the Oireachtas books, so it comes as a major relief to our industry to see it finally complete its passage through both the Dáil and the Seanad. The CIF has been pressing the Government for some time to ensure there were no further delays with this legislation. We are delighted to finally see the Bill complete its Oireachtas journey.
"None of this could have happened without the huge volume of work undertaken by Minister Brian Hayes and his officials, by the late Brian Lenihan TD during this time and Minister for Finance, by TDs and Senators throughout the Oireachtas as well as other industry stakeholders. This was truly a cross party piece of legislation and it shows what the Oireachtas can achieve when the various members work towards a common goal."
(CD/JP)
