The Federation of Master Builders has called on all political parties to hold a sensible debate on this important issue for the construction industry, as the election campaign heats up. FMB director of external affairs, Andrew Large, said: "The construction industry needs some 380,000 skilled workers over the next five years. Currently these cannot all be provided within the UK. Immigration is therefore necessary for UK construction if skills shortages and project delays are to be avoided. "The challenge will be to ensure that this can be done without disrupting standards in the industry."