The Government's new construction strategy has the potential to provide a considerable boost to construction activity and create thousands of new construction jobs, according to the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). The CIF also called for the 75 actions detailed in the strategy document to be prioritized by the Government so as to ensure the recent return to growth in parts of the industry develops further.

Speaking following the launch of the strategy document, CIF President Philip Crampton said: "The publication of this strategy is a very welcome initiative. We are glad to see that the Government is taking a detailed interest in the construction sector in Ireland.

"This is the first time all the various constraints and issues that are currently hampering construction sector activity have been set out by the Government. Now that they have been acknowledged the next step is to deliver policies and actions that will ensure these problems are overcome.

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"The CIF looks forward to working with the Government to help bring forward these policies and developing the finer details behind the various initiatives highlighted in this strategy document.

"With the construction sector finally returning to growth after six years of decline, we need to ensure that this momentum is fostered. So it is vitally important that the actions outlined in this strategy document are moved forward as quickly as possible. They also need to be fleshed out to take into account the realities of the current construction market.

"Potentially this strategy could provide a major boost to the industry. If all these action points are implemented in the right way then we should see a considerably increase in construction activity around the country and that would create thousands of construction jobs.

"Boosting the construction sector will also help the broader Irish economy. With approximately 100,000 former construction workers still on the dole, managing this strategy and ensuring its timely implementation is extremely important.

"Now that the strategy in place it needs to be implemented and the CIF is committed to playing a strong role in fostering that process," Mr Crampton concluded.