To ask the Minister for Regional Development how Transport Northern Ireland will help to coordinate and improve the planning, management and delivery of transport across Departments.

Transport NI will be responsible for planning, managing and regulating public transport service in Northern Ireland. This includes licensing of routes but operator licensing will remain with the Department of Environment. Transport NI does not currently have any statutory or operational remit for the publicly funded passenger services provided by other Departments. Nonetheless, the Department for Regional Development has proactively organised and is currently working with the Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and other organisations to explore the opportunities for improved integration and efficiency of services through a pilot project in the Dungannon and Cookstown areas. When the pilot project gets underway later this year it will be subject to a period of evaluation to assess the benefits and viability of the wider roll-out of such arrangements. The evaluation will help to determine the degree to which more integrated planning and delivery is possible and the timescales for implementation.