Business minister says transition to Green Deal meant there was always likely to be a hiatus in work
Job losses in the insulation industry were 鈥渋nevitable鈥� in the transition to the Green Deal, business minister Michael Fallon has said.
So far the insulation industry has lost over 4,000 jobs in what industry leaders have called the 鈥渃haotic鈥� launch of the Green Deal.
Speaking to 好色先生TV at Ecobuild this morning, Fallon said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e heard this morning of some installation companies that have had to lay off. That was inevitable in the switch from [the previous scheme] CERT to the Green Deal. That will pick up again now.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 inevitable when you switch from one scheme to the other that you get a hiatus of this kind,鈥� he added.
However he said sustainability will be at the heart of the government鈥檚 industrial strategy for construction and that sustainability and growth were 鈥渢wo sides of the same coin鈥�.
The government is due to publish its industrial strategy for construction this summer and the Strategic Forum for Construction and the Green Construction Board are already consulting with the industry about what it should say.
Fallon said: 鈥淚 can assure you now that green construction will lie at the heart of it.鈥�
鈥淸Government will] set a course for this industry that will enable it to capitalise on the growth opportunities in sustainable construction.鈥�
Fallon said he saw the sustainable construction industry as a prime opportunity for the UK to export expertise. 鈥淭he UK green sector is a success story,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t is the sixth largest in the world. Globally, the UK holds its own with the traditional innovation giants, such as Germany and Japan, as well as rising luminaries like India and Brazil.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 clear from events such as Ecobuild that this country鈥檚 green construction market is now not only firmly entrenched, but growing.
鈥淚f we couple this with our world beating expertise in 鈥榞ame changing鈥� technologies such as BIM, we have the tools we need to build our way towards a stronger economy.鈥�
Fallon also said the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) could expect more support in the forthcoming budget.
He said the government was particularly interested in leveraging the money in its Funding for Lending scheme into SMEs.
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