Infrastructure Investment - the Priority for New Year, says Business Chief

28 December 2005

Delivering investment in the country's energy and transport networks must be made a top priority for 2006, Miles Templeman, the Director General of the Institute of Directors (IoD) said today.

In his New Year message to the IoD's 54,000 members, Miles Templeman said it was vital that investment was delivered efficiently if the country was to maintain and improve its productivity.

He said:

"We want to see continuing investment in the transport network, since our members continue to be frustrated at the slow pace of change.  Whenever I meet members around the country inevitably their biggest concern is the lack of a good integrated transport infrastructure."  

Mr Templeman added:

"The Government has a duty to ensure taxpayers' money is well directed and spent wisely.  We see huge potential to waste that money without proper co-ordination.  This doesn't require a new 'Tsar', just good project management across government departments.  Fiefdoms and silos have to be broken down in Whitehall if this investment is to be spent effectively."

The IoD recognises that the Government and private sector must continue to work towards better ways of working together that deliver projects on time and on budget.  Civil servants responsible for this massive investment must have the commercial nous to deliver what is required of them and in turn, business must have the staff capable of interacting with them.

Mr Templeman concluded:

"With regard to energy, many companies face the New Year having seen energy costs rise up the agenda in recent months. In 2006 we need action by the Government following on from its energy review, so that businesses can be assured there will be affordable and reliable energy supplies in the future.

"Difficult choices also need to be faced up to regarding the energy supply mix for the UK over the next few decades. These must be pragmatic and based on the need for reliable sources of energy, not simply based on utopian views of some environmental organisations."

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Notes to editors

1.         The IoD (Institute of Directors) was founded in 1903 and obtained a Royal Charter in 1906. The IoD is a non-party political organisation with upwards of 54,000 members in the United Kingdom.  Membership includes directors from right across the business spectrum - from media to manufacturing, e-business to the public and voluntary sectors.  Members include CEOs of large corporations as well as entrepreneurial directors of start-up companies. 

2.         The IoD offers a wide range of business services which include business centre facilities (including six regional centres), conferences, networking events, issues-led guides and literature as well as information services and free access to a comprehensive business library and enquiry service.  The IoD places great emphasis on director development and has established a certified qualification for directors - Chartered Director - as well as running specific board-level and director-level training and individual career mentoring programmes.

3.         In addition, the IoD provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its members to government and key opinion-formers at the highest levels.  These include ministers, constituency MPs, Select Committee members and senior civil servants. IoD policies and views are actively promoted to the national, regional and trade media. 

4.                   For further information, visit our website: www.iod.com