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Inquiry into energy scheme begins
| 07 Nov 2017 16:04 |
| A public inquiry into a botched green energy scheme, which triggered the collapse of political power-sharing in Northern Ireland, has begun holding oral hearings at Stormont. |
| The Renewable Heat Incentive probe is being chaired by retired judge Patrick Coghlin. |
| DUP leader Arlene Foster's role in the scheme was at the heart of the row in Belfast between former coalition partners Sinn Féin and the DUP and she is expected to give evidence in the new year. |
| Sinn Féin has repeatedly indicated its unwillingness to return to devolved coalition government at Stormont with Ms Foster as first minister until her actions surrounding the RHI are examined by the inquiry. |
| Judge Coghlin delivered a short opening address and said the hearings would also examine allegations of political interference and possible fraud. |
| Counsel for the inquiry, David Schoffield, said it was not the inquiry's function to determine civli or criminal liability. He said its main aim was to find out why the RHI scheme had gone so badly wrong. |
| Hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence have already been examined by the inquiry. |
| The RHI scheme was established to incentivise businesses to shift to renewable energy sources by offering a proportion of the costs to run eco-friendly boilers. |
| But the subsidy tariffs were set too high and without a cap, so it ended up paying out significantly more than the price of fuel. |
| This effectively enabled some applicants to "burn to earn" - getting free heat and making a profit as they did so. |
