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The government鈥檚 new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) will be subject to independent scrutiny, the minister responsible has confirmed.

NISTA was formally launched earlier this week, folding together the previously existing Infrastructure and Projects Authority and National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) into a single unit.

While technically reporting to the Treasury, the NIC was a source of independent and sometimes critical advice to the government. 

Under the new system, NISTA will be responsible to both the Cabinet Office and Treasury, but will be based in the latter and report to Darren Jones, chief secretary of the Treasury.

Responding to the launch of NISTA earlier this week, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) recommended that an 鈥渋ndependent voice鈥� be a key part of the new body鈥檚 structure to ensure decision makers do not 鈥渟hy away from difficult questions鈥�.

Jones said yesterday that NIC鈥檚 independence had meant that it could 鈥渟ay whatever it wanted鈥� but that 鈥渢he downside of that was that it then didn鈥檛 really form part of the government decision making process, which is why the delivery wasn鈥檛 really optimal鈥�.

But he stressed that some external scrutiny will remain. 

鈥淲e also agree with the ICE that we do want that challenge to the civil service and so we have a board of external people that sit on the board of NISTA and will provide challenge to the new CEO and the officials working in that team,鈥� he said.

鈥淎t the moment, we鈥檝e rolled over the commissioners from the National Infrastructure Commission, so they鈥檝e automatically become that external advisory panel.

鈥淟ater in the year, once we鈥檝e kind of got everything up and running, working with the new CEO, [we] will set out a process for how that might change going forward.鈥�

NISTA is currently being led by Jean-Christophe Gray, with the permanent chief executive position being advertised at the start of the year with a salary of 拢200,000 a year.

Jones said it was unlikely that a new board would be appointed by the end of the year but that it could be in place by early 2026.

The minister, who is Rachel Reeves鈥� deputy in the Treasury, also said NISTA would take over the NIC鈥檚 five-yearly National Infrastructure Assessments, but that they will be 鈥渋nternal assessments as opposed to independently published assessments of an independent body鈥�.

He added that NISTA would not have a role in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project consenting process, which will continue to be managed through the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Planning Inspectorate.