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Lecture

Infrastructure question time debate

Event organised by ICE

Date
11 July 2023
Time

This event has now ended

Overview

The infrastructure sector is currently facing many challenges. How to secure sufficient qualified engineers for our projects, how to avoid our costs and programmes over-running, delivering net zero, and how we provide value for money – to name just a few.

Join us as we put these questions to our distinguished and experienced panel of civil engineers, the press and Government. Have your say by contributing to the debate. Bring your ideas and help to make a difference.

The debate will follow the familiar TV Question Time format with a high profile panel including:

  • Sir John Armitt CBE FEng FICE, Chair, National Infrastructure Commission
  • The Honorable Philip Dunne MP, Chair, Environmental Audit Committee
  • Mark Foy, Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector, United Kingdom's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)
  • Jane Simpson, FIET, Director of Capital Delivery, Commercial and Engineering, United Utilities Group
  • Claire Smith, Editor, New Civil Engineer
  • Professor David Balmforth CEng FICE FCIWEM, Chair, Civil Engineers Club

Hosted by The Civil Engineers Club.

In a detailed policy paper, ICE investigated how to reduce the gap between cost estimates and outturns for major infrastructure projects and programmes and made several recommendations, some of which governments have adopted worldwide. If you would like to know more about this or ICE’s ongoing policy work, please contact [email protected].

Programme

18:30 - 18:35

Introduction from Chair of London region

18:35 - 19:30

Debate

19:30

Event close

Speakers

Sir John Armitt

Sir John Armitt

National Infrastructure Commission

chair

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Sir John Armitt

Sir John Armitt is the Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission. He is also Chairman of National Express and serves on the Boards of the Berkeley Group and Expo 2020.

In September 2013, Sir John published an independent review on long-term infrastructure planning in the UK. The recommendations in the Armitt Review received widespread support and resulted in the creation of the National Infrastructure Commission in 2015.

After leaving John Laing plc in 1993, where Sir John had been Chairman of Laing’s International and Civil Engineering divisions, he became Chief Executive of Union Railways. In 1997 he became Chief Executive of Costain, a position he held until 2001, when he became Chief Executive of Railtrack (later Network Rail) until 2007. Sir John was also a former President of the ICE.

The Honorable Philip Dunne MP

The Honorable Philip Dunne MP

Environmental Audit Committee

chair

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The Honorable Philip Dunne MP

Philip Dunne was elected Member of Parliament for Ludlow in Shropshire in 2005. He has been a member of the Environmental Audit Committee since 2018, which he has chaired since January 2020.

He previously served as Minister of State for Health (2016-2018) and as Minister for Defence Procurement (2012-2016), having been a Conservative Whip (2008-2012).

Philip has been instrumental in the current drive to clean up England’s rivers.

Jane Simpson

Jane Simpson

United Utilities Group

director of capital delivery, commercial and engineering

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Jane Simpson

Jane is an Architect and NRAC registered Access Consultant. Throughout her career she has developed a broad range of expertise working within a local authority background, private practice and planning department with over two decades of experience in inclusion.

She provides advice on a broad range of issues, often clarifying complex aspects of the Equality Act 2010, the Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001 and other statutory and legislative information. Her work encompasses, policy, strategy, operational planning, and working with design and contractor teams on a variety of projects, from infrastructure, through detailed design to handover.

Disability Groups and Organisations

In recent years she has been involved with access groups within large scale projects as well as voluntary contributions to RIBA, DPTAC, CABE, Design Council, BSI, Pocklington Trust, BESiDE at Dundee University and to members of the EHR. Advice is also provided to Sport England and DfE on their documentation.

Professor David Balmforth

Professor David Balmforth

Civil Engineers Club

chair

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Professor David Balmforth

David Balmforth is an independent consultant specialising in flood risk management and pollution control. He is a Past President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and until 2020 worked as an Executive Technical Director with the international engineering consultancy Stantec. His more recent work has ranged from the delivery of £multi-million engineering programmes in the water industry, to flood advisory work for municipalities in the UK and overseas.

Claire Smith

Claire Smith

New Civil Engineer

editor

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Claire Smith

Claire graduated from University of Portsmouth with a BEng in Engineering Geology and Geotechnics and worked in industry for three years with Peter Brett Associates before moving into construction journalism in 2000. Since then Claire has helped launch Aggregates Business Europe and Transportation Professional, and also worked on International Construction, Construction Europe and World Highways magazine before joining New Civil Engineer’s sister title Ground Engineering in 2011 then moving onto the New Civil Engineer in 2020.

Mark Foy

Mark Foy

Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)

chief executive & chief nuclear inspector

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Mark Foy

Mark was appointed chief executive and chief nuclear inspector of the United Kingdom’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) from 1 June 2021 having been ONR’s chief nuclear inspector since 2017.

He is an executive board member of the ONR and acts as regulatory head to provide independent authoritative expert advice on nuclear safety, security and safeguards to the ONR Board, ministers and Parliament.

During the last 20 years he has successfully led ONR’s regulation across various sectors of the nuclear industry, securing improvements in safety and security performance.

Mark has 35 years’ experience of the UK’s civil and defence nuclear industry, combined with extensive international experience, having undertaken various senior roles within the international regulatory community. He provides authoritative leadership and insight on nuclear safety and its regulation.

Mark is a Chartered Fellow of the UK’s Nuclear Institute and has an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering

For more information please contact:

Salome Grant