DFP is one of 12 Northern Ireland Departments created in December 1999 as part of the Northern Ireland Executive by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and the Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.
The overall aim of the Department is “to help the Executive secure the most appropriate and effective use of resources and services for the benefit of the community”.
In pursuing this aim, the key objective of the Department is to deliver quality, cost effective and efficient public services and administration in the department’s areas of executive responsibility.
The Department of the Environment’s planning functions sit within the remit of the Planning and Local Government Group which operates from Millennium House in Belfast and from 8 local Area Planning Offices across Northern Ireland.
Planning and Local Government Group (PLGG) is led by Deputy Secretary Ian Maye and Chief Planner Mary MacIntyre and is comprised of 4 divisions. They are:
Transport NI: this new organisation has been established with effect from 1 April 2013 by merging Roads Service and Transport Finance and Governance Division. It is responsible for Public Transport budgets, performance monitoring, Accessible Transport and the Department’s governance and sponsorship role of NITHC/Translink. Translink will seek to provide 78 million passenger journeys in 2013-14, operates a bus fleet of 1450 vehicles, 47 trains and manages 210 route miles of railway. It is also responsible for ensuring that the public road network is managed, maintained and developed.
Northern Ireland Water is a Government Owned Company (GoCo), set up in April 2007 to provide the water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland.
In order to deliver this service we require a huge system of pipes, pumping stations, water and wastewater treatment works and reservoirs. There are 26,700 kilometres of watermains and 15,200 kilometres of sewers in Northern Ireland.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) aims to promote sustainable economic growth and the development of the countryside. The Department assists the competitive development of the agri-food, fishing and forestry sectors of the Northern Ireland economy, having regard for the need of the consumers, the welfare of animals and the conservation and enhancement of the environment.
Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) is committed to ‘Protecting Our Community’. We respond to fires, road traffic collisions and other specialist rescue incidents and provide community safety education and advice.
Our aim is to protect, conserve and promote the natural environment and built heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.
Our vision is that we will have a healthy and well protected environment and heritage in Northern Ireland which contributes to the social and economic wellbeing of the whole community.
HSENI (The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland) is an executive Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI). HSENI is the lead body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland.
As the Industry Training Board and a partner in ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the UK Construction industry, CITB NI, is funded by a statutory levy from registered in scope employers. The organisation provides a range of services to the industry which incorporates identifying training needs, encouraging and advising on training, provision of training grants and research and policy development. www.citbni.org.uk
Our role is to encourage the adequate training of those employed or intending to be employed in the construction industry and to improve the skills and productivity of the industry, to deliver a safe, professional and fully qualified workforce across the whole of the construction industry in Northern Ireland.
CITB NI’s role is also to make sure
- that employees and new entrants to the construction industry have the right training;
- that employers provide training for their workforce;
- that we understand the industry and can identify what its training needs are both now and in the future and;
- that the right qualifications, at the right level, are available to meet these needs.
As such, our image for the future of the construction industry, and for our organisation, (our vision) is:
A construction industry where skills and competence are at the core of every business, supported by a respected and valued CITB NI.