Members of the Scottish Building Federation have hosted a highly successful discussion with the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney MSP.

Taking palce in Edinburgh on Monday the 23rd November, it was themed around the subject of "Scottish construction’s contribution to long-term sustainable economic growth", the meeting provided an important opportunity for industry leaders to discuss a wide range of issues currently facing Scotland’s construction sector with the Cabinet Secretary.

The issues discussed included the severe impact of the recession on the industry, the provision of capital investment from the Scottish budget, the role of the Scottish Futures Trust, the vital contribution of apprentices to the industry and the industry’s current and future contribution towards jobs and growth as well as tackling major policy issues such as climate change.

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The event was formally hosted by Bill Imlach, immediate Past President of the Scottish Building Federation and Managing Director, Stewart Milne (Construction Division).

Commenting after the event, Mr Imlach said: "As the economy slowly starts to recover, we really appreciate opportunities like these to draw the attention of senior members of the Scottish Government not only to the significant challenges our industry still faces but also the opportunities it offers as a potentially major contributor to Scotland’s current and future prosperity.

"Our message to Mr Swinney was that we are extremely grateful for all of the efforts he has made to make additional funding available to support the construction sector through these difficult times.

"We also took the opportunity to highlight to him current and future priorities for the industry in a range of different areas."

Touching on the key priorities discussed at the meeting, Federation Chief Executive Michael Levack, added: "The meeting gave SBF members an important opportunity to welcome the acceleration of £230 million of capital investment into this year’s budget, which has helped cushion many construction firms against the worst effects of the recession. But we were also able to highlight our concerns about the knock-on impact on next year’s budget.

"We also took the opportunity to underline our firm commitment to working constructively with the Scottish Futures Trust to help it achieve its promise. At the same time, we stressed that time is of the essence."

(GK/BMcc)