MAKING A DIFFERENCE

THE SCSI’S MANY REPORTS AND INITIATIVES HAVE RAISED THE PROFILE OF THE PROFESSION AND BROUGHT ABOUT REAL POLICY CHANGE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

As my term as President concludes, it has been a privilege to represent the SCSI and its members. It’s been another busy year, and I am thankful to have witnessed the dedication and commitment of the team within the SCSI and the vast contributions from our 12 surveying disciplines – whether they were demonstrating their specialist skills or working as part of a multidisciplinary team providing valuable insights on the issues of the day.

This year, the SCSI has produced over 30 reports and guides, including several comprehensive submissions to Government, raising our profession’s public profile while addressing policy changes to help transform the built environment for the better.

In recent weeks, it was very encouraging to see the Minister for Housing bringing forward to Cabinet an increase to the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant as part of the Government’s extra Housing for All measures. I have no doubt that the SCSI’s Real Cost of Renovation Report, which was presented in Leinster House last month to a cross-party audience, was instrumental in these policy decisions. I sincerely thank all the contributors who produced and presented this excellent report. We still recommend introducing a feasibility grant to protect public funds and assist in the sustainable renovation of Ireland’s residential building stock. At our recent Property Insights Conference, we published the tenth in our series of SCSI/Teagasc Agricultural Land Market Review And Outlook Reports. The SCSI continues its commitment to fostering partnerships such as these.

Outside of these events, the SCSI is also engaging with the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) on licence registration issues raised by our Arts & Antiques and Commercial Agency Professional Groups. The SCSI’s accreditation process is now aligning with higher education programme reviews, helping to ensure that industry feedback is reflected in student courses more rapidly. Our ability to shape the profession’s future for the public betterment has never been greater, which is down to the many hundreds of SCSI members who volunteer to progress these and other important initiatives on an annual basis.

As you know, the SCSI has a deep understanding of the many challenges facing the construction industry and the surveying profession. We continue to adapt to new ways of working, policy changes, climate action, digitalisation, innovation, etc., and therefore I encourage you to become more active within the SCSI. With more member support, the SCSI can produce more high-quality, data-driven, evidence-based reports and help attract the next generation of surveyors into our profession. Thank you.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Kevin James SCSI President