Mr. Pat Lucey:

The warning sign in civil engineering is that we have negative activity levels in the sector, with no sign of an improvement until 2019 at the earliest. As we know, civil engineering projects link the country, improving connectivity and accessibility and thereby creating opportunities for house and non-residential building, reducing journey times and improving safety and the work-life balance. With such a poor outlook, civil engineering contractors are pursuing opportunities in the United Kingdom and further afield. When current projects come to an end, they will move their resources out of the country. While the Construction Industry Federation welcomes this morning's announcement of €226 million for local infrastructure, available capacity is such that civil engineering contractors could do much more for the economy.