To ask the Minister for Infrastructure for an update on the establishment of an Infrastructure Commission.

I established a Ministerial Advisory Panel on Infrastructure in August 2020 to consider how an Infrastructure Commission for Northern Ireland might support more effectively the long term planning and development of relevant infrastructure here. The Panel undertook a short, sharp exercise and presented a report on their findings to me in the autumn. I have shared the report with Executive colleagues, the Infrastructure Committee and the Speaker. I have also published the report on my Department’s website.

Since then, I have been engaging with Executive colleagues to consider how we might establish an Infrastructure Commission to support the long-term planning and delivery of infrastructure particularly in the context of our recovery from Covid.