MEMBER News
NORTHERN IRELAND
Meet Gavin McGuire, FMB Northern Ireland Director
What are you working on in your nation? Some of the work has been around issues with water infrastructure capacity in Northern Ireland (NI) and how it’s affecting members’ work. We have also been busy with the
an effect on the pipeline of work that comes through. Based on your knowledge of your nation members, what would you say is their most pressing concern at the moment? Changes to the legislation of the Defective Buildings Act for NI and its impact
development of an NI retrofit strategy and the impact of certain aspects of the Building Safety Act (BSA). On a scale of 1-10, how optimistic are you about the immediate future of the UK’s construction industry? I always remain optimistic. I would say it’s seven out of 10. Please could you explain your reasoning for your answer above? It is based more on my experience of the construction industry’s resilience and problem-solving capacity. Here in NI, the FMB is proud to work with members who have faced very challenging times, working through civil unrest and economic uncertainty. The opportunities here are great, but the stop-start nature of governance and funding do have
NORTHERN IRELAND
on liability, and the long-term issues of underfunding in infrastructure. What is the FMB doing to help mitigate those concerns? We continue to lobby policymakers and key elected representatives, speaking on our members’ behalf. These conversations are not one- offs; we continue to look for ways for members to express themselves and make their voices heard. Getting to know you: Cheese or chocolate? Cheese. Dog or cat? Dog, but I have a cat. First car owned? Ford Fiesta van. Favourite film? ‘A Shot in the Dark’, starring Peter Sellers. Favourite holiday spot? Naples. Have you been a client of an FMB member? Not yet.
Lobbying work continues
It has been a busy period for FMB NI, with NI Director Gavin McGuire holding meetings with the head of the NI Civil Service, Jayne Brady, and the departments of health, infrastructure, finance and communities, and
presenting to Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) at the economy committee on retrofit. Gavin also spoke at a recent Housing Forum at Stormont about the importance of investment in infrastructure and in the planning system.
Gavin McGuire at Stormont
42 Master Builder
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