GCS latest: Infrastructure minister says 鈥渃reating a stable environment鈥 for investment is the government鈥檚 most important role in construction

Lord Deighton

The infrastructure minister has called on the construction industry to work with the government to help create a 鈥渟table environment鈥 for long-term infrastructure investment.

Lord Deighton told the Government Construction Summit in London today that 鈥渃reating a stable environment鈥 for investment was the government鈥檚 most important role in construction.

He said: 鈥淭he more intelligence you can give us about how to create that stable environment the better - I think you鈥檒l find us very responsive.鈥

In Q&A session Paul King, UK Green 好色先生TV Council chief executive, challenged Deighton to incorporate a national plan to reduce carbon emissions in the built environment into the National Infrastructure Plan.

Deighton replied: 鈥淚鈥檓 an enormous fan of putting emissions reductions as one of our NIP projects. I鈥檇 be happy to look at that going forward.鈥

The government will publish an update on its National Infrastructure Plan this summer with 鈥渆ven more detail鈥, Deighton added.

He said his other priorities for construction were speeding up the planning system and 鈥渆nsuring proper finance is in place鈥.

Deighton said this month the government would announce latest progress in achieving 15-20% cost savings on infrastructure which will show 鈥溌3bn of annual savings鈥.

Deighton added that he was worried about construction capacity: 鈥淢y concern at the moment is that we have the capacity to deliver this pipeline.鈥

Deighton said: 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 an enormous amount of consensus among the political parties.

鈥淏ehind the day-to-day Punch and Judy, when you speak privately with the other parties there鈥檚 not much to distinguish us.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about effectiveness of delivery.鈥