Northern Ireland

Department 'actively working' to extend curbs on RHI payments

RHI cost cutting measures introduced last year were only temporary
RHI cost cutting measures introduced last year were only temporary RHI cost cutting measures introduced last year were only temporary

THE Department for the Economy has said officials are "actively working" to extend curbs on Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) paymentss before the cost-cutting measures expire at the end of next month.

Temporary regulations were introduced in April last year amid public outcry and fears the scheme could burn a £700m hole in the regional budget.

They reduced the annual cost of the botched green energy programme from £30m to £2m.

However, the measures were only put in place for a year and are due to expire on March 31.

Ulster Unionist finance spokesman Steve Aiken said it was "regrettable" that a permanent solution has not been found.

"Last summer the department announced that it would be seeking a further 12-month extension of the current temporary measures until March 31 2019. The reality is however that this would either require assembly approval or sign-off by a direct rule minister - of which we have neither," he said.

"There is every possibility that the current stalemate at Stormont will rumble on well beyond March 31, so there is a real danger taxpayers here will again end up paying huge sums for the botched RHI scheme."

Mr Aiken urged the British government to intervene.

A Department for the Economy spokesman said officials were "actively working through the required legislative and regulatory processes to deliver an extension to the 2017 regulations for up to a further year".

"This will be a temporary measure to provide the department with the opportunity to develop and consult on the long-term arrangements needed for the lifetime of the scheme."

The news came as the RHI public inquiry yesterday heard there was a legal dispute over whether civil servants running the scheme could be given the names and locations of applicants.

It meant officials were unable to establish if multiple boilers were installed on a single site.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) administered the scheme on behalf of the former Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, and provided information on uptake but not personal information.

Inquiry counsel Donal Lunny said there had been a legal dispute between the two about the "data protection act, who was the data controller and who owned the data".

The inquiry also heard yesterday that officials who dealt with the scheme appeared to have been "grossly overworked".

Sir Patrick Coghlin, chairman of the inquiry, said it seemed they had been left to monitor a "highly specialised and highly volatile scheme" without formal guidance.

His comments came as evidence was heard from civil servant Peter Hutchinson, who was the only full-time official dedicated to the scheme along with one part-time colleague.