BMF members account for approx. £830 million annual sales, employ more than 4,300 people, and trade from 147 locations in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive have devolved responsibilities for:
- economic development
- climate change, net zero & energy-efficiency
- education, training & skills
- manufacturing
- construction & infrastructure
- transport
- housing & planning
- water & flood defence.
Collaboration
The BMF is involved with the NI Construction Group an industry-wide alliance (that we chair) between representatives of businesses and the public sector. We also collaborate with the Construction Employers Federation, a trade association that represents contractors, house-builders and property developers. https://www.cefni.co.uk/
Current Topics
The Windsor Framework
An agreement - called the Windsor Framework - was struck between the UK and EU to reform the Northern Ireland Protocol and ease cross-border trade & improve internal market arrangements. The Protocol itself was agreed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. It took effect on 1 January 2021 and Northern Ireland currently aligns with EU rules on placing construction materials & products on the NI market.
On 22 March 2023, the UK Parliament ratified the Windsor Framework that introduces new arrangements to move materials & products from England, Wales or Scotland for use in Northern Ireland. This Framework has introduced simplified processes for moving goods from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to Northern Ireland. These include:
- Internal Market Movement Information which is a simplified dataset to use when moving goods;
- a Trader Goods Profile to support completing the simplified dataset;
- applying to use Entry in Declarant’s Records (EIDR) process alongside the UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) authorisation.
These can be used when moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland where one of the parties moving the goods has a UKIMS authorisation - and the goods meet the criteria to be moved as ‘not at risk’ of entering the EU under the scheme.
Other goods moved to Northern Ireland, such as those destined for the EU (notably the Republic) are classed as “at risk” and will be subject to full customs processes. You will have to pay the applicable EU rate of duty.
Official guidance on the Internal Market Movement Information is here.
Water Industry Infrastructure
Under-investment in Northern Ireland’s waste-water infrastructure is a long-standing issue. Overall capacity has failed to keep up with a growing need to provide a modern sewerage system fit for the 21st century. Northern Ireland Water is subject to a price control mechanism in which the regulator sets the budget and performance framework for a 6-year period. But it does not guarantee sufficient funding to allow NI Water to fulfil its remit and modernise its universal service.
The BMF and others want to see NI Water receive a more generous funding settlement, over a longer period of time, to both upgrade existing facilities and build extra capacity into its network. The completion of much-needed new homes is being prevented because the sewerage network, and water treatment works, are seriously underfunded and operating at (or beyond) capacity. There are over 100 locations where housing projects are stalled, or deferred, because builders cannot get new connections to the existing network.
The NI Executive concluded a consultation in June 2025 on proposals to change house-builders & property developers extra financial contributions to pay for the works. Ministers are wholly opposed to setting water charges on residents’ bills. The BMF and others do not agree with extra developer contributions. We await decisions from the Minister for Infrastructure.
Low Carbon Heating in Residential Buildings
The Northern Ireland Executive has consulted on options for taxpayer-funded grants for homeowners to switch to low carbon heating - and whether the supply chain and installer workforce have the necessary capability. The full 40-page consultation document is here although the consultation closed on 31 December 2024.
Among the proposals:
- ministers asked what (if any) minimum criteria they should require of a building’s energy performance as a pre-requisite of grant funding.
- there is currently no requirement for NI heat pump installers to register to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - should there be?
- should the grant be the same regardless of the technology or location of the property?
The Executive anticipates the deployment rate of heat pumps to be 36,000 per year on average between 2030 and 2045. As of the end of April 2024, there was less than a dozen MCS certified installers based in NI. The consultation asks how can the number and skills of installers be boosted by the private sector and government in the short, medium term and the long term.
Your first point-of-contact is Leo Bagnall on (028) 9074 9400 or [email protected].