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Bell's former spad is DUP appointment to cross-border quango

 Tim Cairns has been appointed to the board of cross-border business body InterTradeIreland
 Tim Cairns has been appointed to the board of cross-border business body InterTradeIreland  Tim Cairns has been appointed to the board of cross-border business body InterTradeIreland

JONATHAN Bell's former special adviser has been appointed to the board of cross-border business body InterTradeIreland.

Tim Cairns (42) was appointed by the DUP and is one of four new members of the Newry-based quango's board.

The other new faces on the board include food entrepreneurs Micheál Briody and Anne Rudden and Larne businessman Ken Nelson, who is the new chairman.

Ordinary board members are paid around £5,250 annually to attend up to12 board meetings a year, while the chairman receives extra remuneration.

Mr Cairns, who works full-time as the director of the Community Transport Association for Northern Ireland and Wales, left his job as a special adviser last May when Mr Bell was not reappointed as a Stormont minister.

He was named by his former boss in the assembly on Monday, when the former enterprise minister, speaking under privilege, claimed his attempts to impose cost curbs on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) were blocked because of senior DUP staff's "extensive interests in the poultry industry".

The Strangford representative, who succeeded Arlene Foster at at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Deti),

said: "The very first piece of information given to me in a ministerial office, by DUP party officer appointed special adviser Timothy Cairns, was that you will not be allowed to reduce the tariff on this scheme because Timothy Johnston, special adviser to the then first minister, and John Robinson, at that time director of communications to the DUP and now the special adviser to the economy minister, had such extensive interests in the poultry industry.

"'Minister, this is not being allowed on your agenda'."

However, the DUP dismissed Mr Bell's claims and branded them "outrageous, untrue and unfounded".

Mr Cairns joins veteran DUP MLA Jimmy Spratt on the InterTradeIreland board.

Last night, he told The Irish News: "I'm looking forward to taking up my post and helping to secure investment and grow business in Northern Ireland."