Research Papers 2020
Synopsis: Below you will find details of Research Publications which have been prepared by the Research and Information Service (RaISe) for the Committee for Infrastructure in 2020.
Electric-Vehicle Waste
- Date: 03/12/2020
At the Committee for Infrastructure meeting on 7 October 2020, RaISe briefed the committee on Transport Decarbonisation. At this meeting, the Committee requested information on issues relating to potential implications of waste arising from the disposal of used electric-vehicle (EV) batteries. This briefing sets out the issues relating to EV waste and outlines current mitigation measures.
Committee for Infrastructure: Forward work planning discussion paper (update of paper published in March 2020)
- Date: 13/10/2020
Broadly speaking the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is responsible for roads; public transport; water; flood alleviation infrastructure; and planning. This paper looks at a number of issues within each of these policy areas with the intention of generating discussion during the Committee for Infrastructure’s forward planning day. Topics discussed include: Travel behaviour and transport policy; Concessionary Travel; Waste Water Capacity; Structural Maintenance Funding; Road Safety Strategy 2020; and Planning.
Decarbonising Transport in Northern Ireland
- Date: 12/10/2020
This paper provides an overview of potential policies for decarbonising road and rail transport in Northern Ireland in support of UK wide commitments to reach net zero Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. It has been prepared for the NI Assembly Infrastructure Committee to inform their discussion on potential areas of inquiry.
Assembly Committees: Coordinated Budget Scrutiny
- Date: 29/04/2020
This Briefing Paper updates Briefing Paper NIAR-116-20, issued on 21 April 2020. The update is based on: data provided in return template replies from the Departments of Health and Economy, received after initial paper was compiled; and, other Executive Budget timetable developments, notified to the Committee for Finance on 24 April. The paper aims to support coordinated Assembly scrutiny of the Executive Budget 2020-21. It draws on departmental template returns, other accessible departmental data and past papers compiled by RaISe PFSU.
Assembly Committee Engagement on 2020-21 Departmental Budget Planning
- Date: 20/02/2020
This Briefing Paper aims to support Assembly committee engagement on departmental budget planning for the new budget year, 2020-21. It highlights unique circumstances impacting on the formulation 2020-21 Executive Budget. Many are due to Northern Ireland’s Public Finance Framework under devolution (the rules), and are not within the immediate control of departments, nor the Executive. Despite challenges arising from current circumstances, this Paper is an effort both to improve openness and transparency in on-going departmental budget planning for 2020-21, and to ultimately increase government accountability through informed committee scrutiny. The Paper seeks to strategically coordinate and focus committee engagement on the Budget. Providing background information, it draws relevant linkages and identifies potential generic issues for committees’ consideration and use.
Department of Finance and Dilapidations Claims – An Overview
- Date: 12/10/2020
Before the Assembly’s summer recess, the Committee for Finance (CfF) commissioned this briefing paper from the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe). The paper is to inform the Committee’s consideration of dilapidations claims made by Landlords against the Department of Finance (DoF) throughout 2016 – early September 2020.
2020-21 In-year Monitoring of Public Expenditure – First Round: Supporting Assembly Committees in their Advisory & Scrutiny Roles
- Date: 12/10/2020
The Department of Finance (DoF) has started its first round of in-year public expenditure monitoring for the current financial year; directed by its Guidelines, dated 5 May 2020, which subsequently were issued to all departments. This briefing paper seeks to both inform and facilitate Assembly statutory committees and the Assembly’s Audit Committee (AAC), a standing committee, when: (i) Engaging on monitoring round returns to be made to the DoF by the departments and the relevant bodies; and later, (ii) Scrutinising information and data included in those returns (scrutiny role) Throughout, potential scrutiny points are identified for consideration and use by individual committees.
Standarised Scrutiny Approach: Assembly Statutory Committees engaging on forthcoming Executive Budget 2020-21
- Date: 12/10/2020
This Briefing Paper seeks to inform statutory committee scrutiny of the forthcoming draft Executive Budget 2020-21. It supplements the earlier RaISe briefing (NIAR 15-20), which sought to focus and coordinate committee engagement with departments on budget planning for 2020-21. It now seeks to inform committee scrutiny deliberations, by securing timely, relevant and consistent departmental information and data for both the current year’s Budget and the next year’s (2020-21). It aims to do this through the use of a committee-agreed template, which is to be disseminated by individual committees via their Clerks; and then completed and returned by appropriate officials working in individual departments.
Funding Water and Wastewater Services
- Date: 11/10/2020
Providing water and wastewater services is a capitally intensive undertaking that requires sustained levels of investment. In order to bring infrastructure to the required level and ensure compliance with the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive, most member states have introduced various types of user tariffs for water and waste services. In the context of continued deferral of water charges in Northern Ireland, this paper considers a number of issues - including the impact reliance on public funding is having on critical infrastructure investment in NI.
Committee for Infrastructure: Forward work planning discussion paper
- Date: 11/10/2020
Broadly speaking the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is responsible for roads; public transport; water; flood alleviation infrastructure; and planning. This paper looks at a number of issues within each of these policy areas with the intention of generating discussion during the Committee for Infrastructure's forward planning day.
