Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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)
Annual budget	£291.4 million (current) & £268.2 million (capital) for 2018–19)
Minister responsible	No Minister - Assembly not currently sitting
Website	www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is an important part of the Northern Ireland government. It helps manage many things that are important for daily life. This includes roads, public transport, and water services.

Before May 2016, this department was known as the Department for Regional Development.

What DfI Aims to Do

The main goal of the DfI is to make life better for everyone in Northern Ireland. They do this by making sure our transport systems and water services work well. They also help plan how the region will grow and develop in the future.

What DfI is Responsible For

The DfI has many important jobs. Here are some of their main tasks:

• Planning how different areas of Northern Ireland will develop.
• Creating plans for transport and encouraging ways to travel that are good for the environment.
• Looking after all the public roads.
• Managing public transport, like buses and trains.
• Overseeing air and sea ports.
• Making sure we have clean water and good sewerage services.

Some transport matters are handled by the main UK government in Westminster, not by the DfI. These are:

• Rules for ships and boats (called navigation).
• Rules for planes and flying (called civil aviation).

The DfI works with similar departments in other governments:

• In the United Kingdom Government, they work with the Department for Transport. They also work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on water issues. For planning, they work with the Department for Communities and Local Government.
• In the Irish Government, they work with the Department of Transport. They also work with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on water and planning.

Agencies that Help DfI

The DfI works with several agencies to get its jobs done:

• DfI Roads: This agency manages, maintains, and develops all the public roads in Northern Ireland. They look after over 25,000 kilometres of roads, thousands of footpaths, bridges, streetlights, and public car parks.
• Driver and Vehicle Agency: This agency is in charge of vehicle MOT tests. They also handle driving tests and issue driving licences.
• DfI Rivers: This agency manages rivers and helps prevent flooding.

A Brief History of DfI

The DfI has changed names and responsibilities over the years. When Northern Ireland was formed in 1921, a department called the Ministry of Home Affairs handled many local matters.

Later, in 1965, a new department called the Ministry of Development was created. This department focused on planning and development. For a time, it was known as the Department of the Environment (DoE). Even today, some people still use "DoE" to talk about the Roads Service, which used to be part of that department.

In 1998, the Belfast Agreement was signed. This agreement led to the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive. This process is called devolution. It meant that Northern Ireland would have its own government to make decisions on many local issues.

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) was one of five new departments created in December 1999. A minister for the department first took office on 2 December 1999.

Sometimes, the Northern Ireland government was paused. During these times, the department was managed by "direct rule" ministers from the UK government. This happened for a few periods, but since May 2007, the Northern Ireland government has been working without interruption.

In May 2016, the Department for Regional Development was renamed the Department for Infrastructure.

Ministers for Infrastructure

A minister is a person in charge of a government department. They make important decisions and lead the work of the DfI. Here are the people who have served as ministers for this department:

	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
	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
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

Direct Rule Ministers

When the Northern Ireland government was paused, ministers from the Northern Ireland Office (part of the UK government) temporarily took charge of the department. These were:

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

See also

• Committee for Infrastructure