The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Scotland has urged the next Scottish Government to establish a Cabinet-level Minister for Construction & Infrastructure. Despite accounting for around 10% of Scotland’s economy and supporting over 200,000 jobs, the sector currently has no Cabinet champion.

FMB Scotland argues that Scotland is facing its most extensive programme of construction and infrastructure work to date, spanning the retrofit and upgrade of homes and public buildings, major energy infrastructure, and an accelerated push on new housing. Yet there is no single Cabinet voice responsible for oversight of the construction industry.

FMB Scotland Director Gordon Nelson said: "We are facing the largest construction and infrastructure pipeline in Scotland's history, yet our industry doesn’t have a Cabinet-level minister. From housing delivery to major infrastructure projects, from energy transition to skills development, construction touches every aspect of Scotland's economic and social future. The next Scottish Government must recognise this by appointing a Cabinet-level Minister for Construction & Infrastructure who can drive the coordinated action our sector needs and ensure we have the resources and focused political attention to deliver."

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FMB Scotland President Pam Wilson added: "Scotland's construction industry is critical to our economic prosperity and our ability to meet our climate and housing ambitions. We have over 200,000 people working in our sector, contributing 10% of our nation's economy, yet we have no political champion at the Cabinet table. If the next Scottish Government is serious about upgrading our homes, delivering renewable energy infrastructure, and building the housing we desperately need, they must give construction the Cabinet-level leadership it deserves."

FMB Scotland is calling on the next administration to:

- Appoint a Cabinet-level Minister for Construction & Infrastructure

- Produce a comprehensive construction strategy covering housing, retrofit and energy efficiency, infrastructure, and skills

- Ensure construction is represented in all major policy discussions affecting the built environment