The Northern Ireland Finance Minister put on a 'hard hat' and protective clothing for work this morning when he made two site visits to construction schemes in Belfast.

Peter Robinson was launching a major initiative to promote excellence within the building industry in Northern Ireland. And to illustrate the point, he went to have a look at two schemes currently in progress in the Forestside area of Newtownbreda.

'Constructing Excellence in Northern Ireland' is a new centre of professional building expertise, based at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. The Department of Finance and Personnel has responsibility for the construction industry and the project will be funded by the Government for a three-year period.

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"Constructing Excellence will provide relevant advice and information on best practice and increase the capability of the industry to compete in all-island, UK and international markets," Mr Robinson pointed out.

The Minister was accompanied by Professor Richard Barnett, vice-chancellor of the University and together with Tony Doran, chairman of Constructing Excellence they toured the site of the Marks & Spencer extension at Forestside and the Castlereagh Community Treatment Centre located close by.

Mr Robinson emphasised the benefits that Constructing Excellence will bring to the industry here: "Government recognises the important role that the construction industry makes in the economic development of Northern Ireland, employing more than 75,000 people in delivering assets and infrastructure for both the private and public sector.

“Our future success will be down in large measure to the quality of the built environment. Only by offering the highest quality can we compete on the world stage and be in a competitive position when it comes to attracting foreign direct investment."

He concluded: "For a small region we are blessed with more than our share of prestigious firms, with superb overseas track records and reputations. The Constructing Excellence initiative will provide the local industry with a valuable knowledge base to help it stay ahead of the competition."

(JM)