Summary

  • Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry examining botched energy scheme

  • Former DUP enterprise minister Jonathan Bell appears before inquiry panel

  • Inquiry set up after public concern over scheme's huge projected overspend

  • Retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Patrick Coghlin chairing inquiry at Stormont

  • Public hearings entering critical phase with high-profile witnesses giving evidence

  1. What happened yesterday at the RHI Inquiry?published at 09:48 British Summer Time 7 September 2018

    Jayne McCormack
    BBC News NI politics reporter

    Jonathan Bell claimed that a senior figure in Stormont's Executive Office was briefing against him as a "monster who had to be put to sleep" when he was a DUP minister.

    He said the individual was David Gordon, who headed the communications for the Executive Office in 2016.

    Jonathan BellImage source, PA

    Mr Bell also alleged that a journalist was briefing the DUP on how to discredit him by attacking his Christian faith.

    It is understood he was referring to David Blevins, the Ireland correspondent at Sky News.

    Sky News said in a statement that the allegation was "completely and utterly untrue".

  2. What is the RHI Inquiry?published at 09:46 British Summer Time 7 September 2018

    BBC News NI

    An independent inquiry into the RHI scandal was established in January last year by the then finance minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir.

    He ordered it in the wake of the huge public concern and what was then a developing political crisis surrounding the scheme.

    The RHI Inquiry began in November and Sir Patrick Coghlin (below), a retired Court of Appeal judge, is its chair and has been given full control over how it will operate.

    Sir Patrick CoghlinImage source, Pacemaker

    It will look at:

    • the design and introduction of the RHI scheme
    • the scheme's initial operation, administration, promotion and supervision
    • the introduction of revised subsidies and a usage cap for new scheme claimants in 2015
    • the scheme's closure

    For more information on the RHI Inquiry, you can read our handy Q&A.

  3. RHI scheme - the falloutpublished at 09:44 British Summer Time 7 September 2018

    When the scale of the overspend emerged, public and political concern rocketed.

    As the minister in charge of the Stormont department that set up the RHI scheme, the DUP leader Arlene Foster faced calls to resign from her role as Northern Ireland's first minister in December 2016.

    Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinnessImage source, Pacemaker

    She resisted, and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness then quit as deputy first minister in protest at the DUP's handling of what had by then become a full-blown political crisis.

    That move brought about the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive. Now, well beyond a year-and-a-half on from that, Northern Ireland remains without a devolved administration.

    You can find much more detail on the RHI scheme in our need-to-know guide.

  4. RHI scheme - the flawspublished at 09:42 British Summer Time 7 September 2018

    The budget of the RHI scheme ran out of control because of critical flaws in the way it was set up.

    Claimants could effectively earn more money the more fuel they burned because the subsidies on offer for renewable fuels were far greater than the cost of the fuels themselves.

    Burning £20 notes

    At one point the estimate for the overspend was set at £700m if permanent cost controls weren't introduced - temporary cuts have since pulled the budget back on track for now.

    Whatever the scale of the bill, it will have to be picked up by the Northern Ireland taxpayer.

  5. RHI scheme - what was it?published at 09:40 British Summer Time 7 September 2018

    The Renewable Heat Incentive scheme - or RHI for short - came to the fore of the Northern Ireland public's knowledge in late-2016... and the fallout from the scandal attached to it is still being felt in the region's politics today.

    A biomass boilerImage source, Getty Images

    The scheme was set up by the Northern Ireland Executive in 2012, as a way of encouraging businesses to switch from using fossil fuels to renewable sources for generating their heat.

    Those who signed up were offered financial incentives to buy new heating systems and the fuel to run them.

  6. Good morningpublished at 09:38 British Summer Time 7 September 2018

    It's a lovely, sunny morning up at Stormont's Parliament Buildings and we're back to bring you day 86 of the Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry.

    The view from Stormont's Parliament Buildings

    After giving the first part of his side of the heat scandal story yesterday, the former DUP minister Jonathan Bell is back in the Senate chamber to tell more.

    Proceedings begin shortly so stick with us throughout the day for a live stream and a full text commentary of all of the best bits.