Critical Infrastructure Resilience – Transport Links

Background

National Infrastructure are those facilities, systems, sites, information, people, networks and processes necessary for a jurisdiction to function and upon which daily life depends.   Not everything within a national infrastructure sector is judged to be ‘critical’.   Jersey’s critical infrastructure can be described as those physical facilities, supply chains, information technologies and communication networks which, if destroyed, degraded or rendered unavailable for an extended period, would significantly impact the social or economic wellbeing of Jersey or affect Jersey’s ability to ensure national security.

Critical infrastructure systems within these sectors are particularly vulnerable to being damaged or disrupted. A disruption to any of the critical infrastructure systems can have serious implications for business, government and the community.  Chronic infrastructure challenges such as ageing and/or poor maintenance increase the risks of inadequate service provisions and can worsen the impact of issues and threats when they arise.

Ensuring the security and resilience of Jersey’s critical infrastructure is a responsibility shared by the States, infrastructure owners and operators.  Each have different responsibilities for critical infrastructure depending on the system and/or the nature of the threats to be mitigated.  Responses to a threat can involve the asset owner and operator, the technical and operational lead for Government and emergency services or law enforcement.  Co-ordination among entities is therefore required to prepare, rehearse and respond to critical infrastructure threats.

Significant public funds can be spent responding to emergencies relating to critical infrastructure.  It is important for Jersey to have in place an effective resilience framework supported by effective resilience plans and procedures across the States, asset owners and operators.

The resilience of transport infrastructure and connectivity is especially important in the Jersey context due to the need to use transport to ensure the supply and delivery of vital goods and services to Islanders and for enabling Islanders to access critical mainland services.

In 2024 the Government undertook significant tender exercises in respect of ferry links and bus services.  In addition, over recent years the Government has provided support, through a loan, to Blue Islands which is responsible for a number of air links to the Island and is one the of the airlines providing key non-emergency patient travel.

Scope

This audit has evaluated whether the Government has an effective approach to ensuring the resilience of its transport infrastructure, including ferry, air, bus and road network links.  It has evaluated, for each transport sub-sector, whether:

• arrangements are in place to ensure there is sufficient transport connectivity to and from the Island and within the Island, including:
  • appropriate tender and contracting arrangements for ferry, bus and air ambulance services
  • air connectivity arrangements; and
  • highways network plans
• potential critical incidents, other problems and vulnerabilities affecting transport infrastructure are well identified, agreed and risk assessed
• governance arrangements in place to administer critical infrastructure protection policies (policies aimed at reducing the vulnerabilities of and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure):
  • are effective in delivering the States of Jersey’s objectives and intended outcomes; and
  • achieve ‘best practice’ performance; and
• the underpinning systems and processes – for example resilience plans, testing and compliance activities – are:
  • in place across Government, asset owners and operators and are properly monitored
  • consistent with delivering critical infrastructure protection objectives; and
  • in line with best practice.

The audit looked at the resilience of the critical infrastructure in terms of both transport services to and from the Island (by sea and by air) and on-Island (bus services and the highways network).

Conclusions

A framework of Standards has been developed to promote and support Island-wide resilience under a proposed new Resilience Law. However, this work has been paused. While a decision is awaited on a potential legislative timetable, there is an opportunity for the JRF to work with all stakeholders, including owners and operators of critical transport infrastructure, to refine and then embed standards which will enhance controls, better support management of risk, provide assurance and promote resilience.

New arrangements have been or are due to be put in place for critical ferry, air, air ambulance and bus services. It is important to monitor provision of these critical services more effectively to ensure transport link resilience.