To ask the Minister for Infrastructure (i) for her assessment of staff shortages within her Department and its arms-length bodies; (ii) to detail the areas and bodies most affected; and (iii) to detail the steps being taken to address these shortages.

(i)The Department currently has a vacancy rate of just under 10% – this is in the context of having 3123 staff in post. The resource budget allocated to the Executive has been far from sufficient to meet our needs and there is no doubt that the Department could do more if all vacancies were both affordable and filled. That is not the case though and, like other Ministers, I have had to make some very difficult decisions to live within budgets which clearly impacts on service position. This is a particular challenge for my Department given the significant uplift in capital funding with minimal increase to the resource budget. The Department will, however, continue to maximise the resource available.

The Department’s arm’s length bodies, including Translink and NI Water, have an on-going need to replace staff who leave the organisation for various reasons, primarily retirements.

(ii)From a Departmental perspective, the majority of the Department’s vacancies are within our Roads and Rivers Group. The roles most affected in Translink include bus drivers and shunters.

(iii)My officials continue to work closely with colleagues in NICS HR to fill affordable vacancies as quickly as possible.

Translink and NIW have comprehensive Resourcing Plans and work to best practice recruitment activities. Both ALBs will continue to fill the vast majority of vacancies to meet business requirements.