Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland)

Northern Irish government department

Department for Infrastructure

Department overview
Formed| May 2016
Preceding Department|

* Department of the Environment
Department for Regional Development

Jurisdiction| Northern Ireland
Headquarters| Clarence Court, 10–18 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8GB
Employees| 2,279 (March 2019)[1]
Annual budget| £291.4 million (current) & £268.2 million (capital) for 2018–19[2]
Minister responsible|

* Liz Kimmins[3]

Department executive|

* Denis McMahon[4], Permanent Secretary

Website| www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
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The Department for Infrastructure (DfI, Irish: An Roinn Bonneagair;[5] Ulster-Scots: Depairment fur Infrastructure) is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Up until May 2016, the department was called the Department for Regional Development.

## Aim

[edit]

DfI's overall aim is to "improve quality of life by securing transport and water infrastructure and shaping the region's long-term strategic development".[6]

## Responsibilities

[edit]

The department's main responsibilities include [7]

* regional strategic planning and development;
* transport strategy and sustainable transport;
* public roads;
* public transport;
* air and sea ports;
* water and sewerage services.

Two transport matters are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved: [8]

* navigation (including merchant shipping)
* civil aviation

DfI's main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:

* the Department for Transport;[9]
* the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (on water);[10]
* the Department for Communities and Local Government (on planning).[11]

In the Irish Government, its main counterparts are:

* the Department of Transport;[12]
* the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (on water and planning).[13]

## Agencies

[edit]

* DfI Roads: Responsible for ensuring that measures are taken to implement the roads aspects of the Regional Transportation Strategy for Northern Ireland 2002–12 and that the public road network is managed, maintained and developed. Roads Service is responsible for just over 25,000 kilometres of public roads, approximately 9,000 kilometres of footways, 5,800 bridges, 257,700 streetlights and 370 public car parks.
* Driver and Vehicle Agency: Responsible for vehicle MOT testing, driver testing and driver licensing.
* DfI Rivers

## History

[edit]

The Ministry of Home Affairs was established on the formation of Northern Ireland in June 1921 and was responsible for a range of non-economic domestic matters, including local government. A separate Ministry of Health and Local Government was formed in 1944 and was subsequently split in 1965, to create the Ministry of Development. An environment ministry existed in the 1974 Northern Ireland Executive and the ministry was known as the Department of the Environment under direct rule.

The DoE is still a phrase used in everyday language in Northern Ireland to describe the Roads Service, which was once run by the department but is currently an agency of the Department for Infrastructure.

Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement on 23 May 1998 and the granting of royal assent to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 on 19 November 1998, a Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive were established by the United Kingdom Government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The process was known as devolution and was set up to return devolved legislative powers to Northern Ireland. DRD was one of five new devolved Northern Ireland departments created in December 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.

A devolved minister first took office on 2 December 1999. Devolution was suspended for six periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of direct rule ministers from the Northern Ireland Office:

* between 12 February 2000[14] and 30 May 2000;[15]
* on 11 August 2001;[16][17]
* on 22 September 2001;[18][19]
* between 15 October 2002[20] and 8 May 2007.[21]
* between 26 January 2017 and 11 January 2020
* between 27 October 2022 and 3 February 2024

## Ministers for Infrastructure

[edit]

| Minister | Image | Party | Took office | Left office

|
|
|
|
|

| Peter Robinson |  | DUP | 29 November 1999 | 11 February 2000
Office suspended
| Peter Robinson |  | DUP | 30 May 2000 | 26 July 2000
| Gregory Campbell |  | DUP | 27 July 2000 | 18 October 2001[22]
| Peter Robinson |  | DUP | 25 October 2001 | 11 October 2002
Office suspended
| Conor Murphy |  | Sinn Féin | 14 May 2007 | 4 May 2011
| Danny Kennedy |  | UUP | 16 May 2011 | 2 September 2015
| Michelle McIlveen |  | DUP | 21 September 2015 | 30 March 2016[note 1]
Office renamed Minister for Infrastructure
| Chris Hazzard |  | Sinn Féin | 25 May 2016 | 26 January 2017
Office suspended
| Nichola Mallon |  | SDLP | 11 January 2020 | 5 May 2022
| John O'Dowd |  | Sinn Féin | 16 May 2022 | 27 October 2022
Office suspended
| John O'Dowd |  | Sinn Féin | 3 February 2024 | 3 February 2025
| Liz Kimmins |  | Sinn Féin  | 3 February 2025  | Incumbent

### Direct rule ministers

[edit]

During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department:

* Adam Ingram (2000)
* Angela Smith (2002–03)
* John Spellar (2003–05)
* Shaun Woodward (2005–06)
* David Cairns (2006–07)

## See also

[edit]

* Committee for Infrastructure

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Annual Report and Accounts" (PDF). Department of Infrastructure. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
2. ^ "Annual Report and Accounts" (PDF). Department of Infrastructure. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
3. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07kjz7p7y8o
4. ^ "About DfI - Permanent Secretary, Dr. Denis McMahon". Retrieved 9 May 2024.
5. ^ "Gaeilge" (in Irish). Department for Regional Development. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
6. ^ Northern Ireland Budget 2011–15, page 91
7. ^ "Home". Infrastructure.
8. ^ "Northern Ireland Act 1998". www.legislation.gov.uk.
9. ^ "About us". GOV.UK.
10. ^ Defra: Water Archived 20 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ "Planning and building - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
12. ^ Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: About Us Archived 17 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ "Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mission Statement". Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
14. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000
15. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000
16. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001
17. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001
18. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
19. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
20. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002
21. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007
22. ^ Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Resigned on 21 September 2015, re-entered office on 23 Sept. till 24 Sept., then 30 Sept.-1 Oct. 2015. Following the 20 October she permanently occupies the office

## External links

[edit]

* DRD
* "The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999" (PDF). (37.0 KB)
* Traffic Watch Northern Ireland

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Naomi Long
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