Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland)


The Department for 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

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".

Responsibilities

The department's main responsibilities include
  • 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:
DfI's main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:
In the Irish Government, its main counterparts are:
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 DFI Roads, 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 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:

Direct rule ministers

During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department:
  • Adam Ingram
  • Angela Smith
  • John Spellar
  • Shaun Woodward
  • David Cairns