Bill to merge NRA and Railway Procurement Agency published

A merger of two national transport bodies will be called the Transport Infrastructure Service, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said.

Mr Varadkar today published legislation for the merger of the National Roads Authority (NRA) and the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA).

He said the plan was “consistent with Government plans for public sector reform and, in particular, its programme for rationalisation of State agencies”.

The amalgamation will be implemented through the dissolution of the RPA and the transferring of its functions and staff to the NRA.

“The merger will add one more to the 43 State agencies already merged or amalgamated at the last count. It is expected that there will be over a hundred fewer State agencies and public bodies before the term of this Government ends,” Mr Varadkar said.

The new agency will remain a non-commercial State body and will be given the operational title Transport Infrastructure Service (TIS).

"The merger of the NRA and RPA will create a new streamlined organisation which will be a leader in the planning, delivery and management of transport infrastructure in Ireland, demonstrating the best and most efficient use of scarce public resources," Mr Varadkar said.

“The need for restructuring the institutional framework in the transport sector is recognised, particularly in light of the reduced capital investment programme. However, through this merger, core technical and professional skills will be retained in the public sector to support the future development of transport infrastructure.”