The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) commenting on today's draft legislative programme says:
Apprenticeships
The Prime Minister's announcement that he intends to establish a statutory basis for the apprenticeship programme has been welcomed by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB has, however, questioned how this will work in practice.
Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said:
"The skills agenda is high on the FMB's agenda so this initiative is certainly a step in the right direction. The problem is not a lack of people wanting an apprenticeship because last year 30,000 young people applied for a ConstructionSkills apprenticeship position but only 8,500 were accepted. The key question now is how the Government plans to incentivise employers to take on apprentices as it costs an employer on average £14,000 in the first year to train an apprentice. Financial support will be essential if this proposal is to work but has the Government got the money to do this?"
First Time buyers
Announcements to help people get on the housing ladder still fail to address the key problem that the Government is failing to meet its own housing targets.
Brian Berry said:
"The sad fact is that the Government is already failing to meet its own housing target of 240,000 new homes each year as last year around 186,000 were homes were built and we are still waiting to hear about what the Government will do to tackle the existing building stock to make it greener and more energy efficient. What we have been given today is a piecemeal approach which is firing off in all directions and going nowhere. The government's new home-buy scheme for all first-time buyers earning less than £60,000 is not going to receive any extra funding so the number of people who will benefit from it looks to be minimal. If the Government really wants to make a difference to first time buyers it should simply cut Stamp Duty."
Heritage planning changes
Britain's national heritage is threatened by the VAT burden that repairs and maintenance work carries. Buildings of historical interest - especially those that are locally important but do not enjoy the grant support that flows from national listed status - will continue to be lost to modern developments unless the costs of their maintenance can be reduced.
Brian Berry said:
"The streamlining of the registration system for historic buildings is a positive step by the Government, but does nothing to make the cost of vital repairs to our historically significant buildings more bearable. The Prime Minister has missed an opportunity to cut VAT from 17.5 per cent to 5 per cent for all building repair and maintenance work. The proper maintenance of our historic buildings encouraged by a reduced rate of VAT on maintenance and repair work would support and in many cases help to restore civic pride in the local environment. The resulting regeneration would also promote training and employment in traditional building crafts, thus giving younger people a wider skills base."
14 May 2008
