Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the measures he is taking to increase employment in the construction sector, following measures outlined by the sector which, if enacted, would create some 20,000 new jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28672/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Securing employment opportunities across all sectors of the economy is the priority of the Government's Action Plan for Jobs, including in the construction sector.

In May 2014 the Government published 'Construction 2020 – a Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector' to help deliver a competitive, innovative, dynamic, safe and sustainable construction sector, that can make its proper contribution to the economy and to job creation, that is based on best practice, and that is capable of delivering the economic and social infrastructure we need for the future.

Construction 2020 commits the Government to a detailed set of actions to identify and remove unnecessary blockages to appropriate, high quality development, while ensuring that future growth and activity is sustainable, and underpinned by proper data and analysis. It reflects the Government's commitment to moving the country away from cycles of boom and bust.

Construction 2020 contains a detailed programme of work, including 75 time-bound actions across a range of issues including ensuring a highly skilled workforce and ensuring opportunities for construction jobseekers. Progress is being made on securing new employment opportunities for those with the skills and interested in making a career in the construction sector.

The most recent data from the CSO indicates an increase in employment in construction of 19,600 over the year to the end of the first quarter of 2015.

We are working hard in a joined-up way across Government to ensure that the construction sector can continue its recovery and provide employment opportunities for those with the skills needed. Since publication of the Government's Construction 2020 report, our commitment to delivery has been further underpinned by the appointment last July of Minister of State Paudie Coffey, with responsibility for coordinating and driving the important work forward. We have also established a dedicated Cabinet Committee to ensure that focus is maintained at the highest level of Government.

A number of significant milestones have been achieved, and we are seeing welcome and positive signs of recovery in the sector. The most recent Construction Purchasing Managers Index for May 2015 prepared by Ulster Bank indicates a continuing increase in confidence in the sector with a reading of 65.7, where a figure above 50 indicates growth. This reading for May was the highest level since November 2004 and extends the construction sector's continuous expansion to 22 months as recorded by Ulster Bank.

I understand that the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government has received a submission from the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) regarding amendments sought to planning law. The Department is considering the submission and intends to meet with the CIF in the near future to discuss the issues.

In relation to the Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI), the Government has signalled its commitment in the Construction 2020 Strategy to placing CIRI on a statutory footing. CIRI is seen as an essential consumer protection measure giving consumers who engage a registered builder the assurance that they are dealing with a competent and compliant operator. CIRI has been operated by the CIF as a voluntary register since May 2015. Legislative proposals aimed at placing CIRI on a statutory footing are currently being finalised by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with a view to their being presented to Government for consideration in the near future.