Who we are
The Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (the Utility Regulator) is responsible for regulating the electricity and gas industries and water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland, to promote the short- and long-term interests of consumers.
Our Mission
Value and sustainability in energy and water.
Our Vision
We will make a difference for customers by listening, innovating and leading.
Our Values
Be a best practice regulator: Transparent, Consistent, Proportional, Accountable, and Targeted
Be a united team – One Team One Mission
Be Collaborative and co-operative
One organisation, many Strengths
Be Professional
Grow and learn as professionals
Listen & Explain
Open and straightforward
Make a Difference
Add Value, be accountable for performance
Act with Integrity
We act with integrity
We are a non-ministerial government department and are governed by a Board of Directors.
We are not a policy-making department of Government, but we make sure that the utility industries in Northern Ireland are regulated and developed within Ministerial policy as set out in our statutory duties. The Utility Regulator is accountable to the Northern Ireland Assembly through financial and annual reporting obligations.
We are based at Queen’s House in the centre of Belfast. The Chief Executive, Iain Osborne, leads a management team made up of Directors representing each of the key functional areas in the organisation: Corporate Affairs (Donald Henry), Water (Jo Aston), Gas (Brian McHugh), Electricity (Shane Lynch) and Retail (Kevin Shiels – acting director). The staff team includes economists, engineers, accountants, utility specialists, legal advisors and administration professionals. Figure 1 below provides an organisational chart of the Utility Regulator.
Figure 1: Utility Regulator Organisational Chart
