Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland)
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI, ; Ulster-Scots: "Depairment fur Owerstructur") is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Infrastructure, Nichola Mallon. 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". The incumbent Minister is Nichola Mallon. Responsibilities. The department's main responsibilities include 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: History. 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 four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of direct rule ministers from the Northern Ireland Office: Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption. Ministers for Infrastructure. Direct rule ministers. During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department: Department for Infrastructure (Northern