DUP First Minister Foster to face Assembly grilling Monday over ‘cash for ash’ scandal

DUP First Minister Arlene Foster is to face the Stormont Assembly on Monday to give answers on the so-called ‘Cash for Ash’ renewable energy incentive scheme over-run that could cost taxpayers £400million.

The DUP leader’s appearance will come after what has been described as an “explosive” exposé on Thursday night by the BBC’s Stephen Nolan that included contradictory interviews by Foster and her DUP colleague, former Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell.

The Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) was set up in 2012 by the Executive to try and increase consumption of heat from renewable sources. But, as the BBC says, “overgenerous subsidies meant the more claimants burned, the more they earned”.

The announcement of the pending closure of a scheme that had underspent led to a spike in applications in a two-week gap and a huge over-run which DUP ministers are scrambling to shift blame for.

The RHI scheme was run then by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment – headed by DETI Minister Arlene Foster. (It now comes under the Department for the Economy.)

On Thursday night, Stephen Nolan broadcast interviews with Bell and Foster with contrary accounts about the process, their own roles, the actions of “SPADs” (Ministerial Special Advisors), and where the blame rests for the scandal.

The interviews also included controversial claims of records being altered and bullying.

◼︎ SINN FÉIN MLA Michelle Gildernew said there must be full disclosure to the RHI scheme. The Public Accounts Committee has called for the ministers responsible for running RHI – Arlene Foster and Jonathan Bell, former Finance Minister Sammy Wilson, and SPADs – to give evidence at the committee “about this fatally-flawed scheme”.

“The ongoing revelations about the scandalous abuse by some applicants to the Renewable Heating Incentive, which has cost the public purse hundreds of millions of pounds, have to be fully investigated,” Michelle Gildernew said.

She said there is a pressing need for all information relevant to RHI to be made available to the PAC.

“This includes full disclosure of the beneficiaries of the scheme and private emails sent by whistleblowers and relevant ministers.

“I made it clear that if there wasn’t full disclosure that there should be an independent inquiry with powers to call in ministers and SPADs who were responsible for this disaster.”