Summary

  • Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry examining botched energy scheme

  • Ex-DUP advisers John Robinson and Stephen Brimstone tell of their links to RHI

  • 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 in critical phase with high-profile witnesses giving evidence

Live Reporting

Iain McDowell and Robin Sheeran

  1. RHI scheme - the fallout

    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 McGuinnessPacemaker

    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.

  2. RHI scheme - the flaws

    The budget of the RHI scheme ran out of control because of critical flaws in the way the initiative 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.

  3. RHI scheme - what was it?

    The Renewable Heat Incentive scheme - or RHI for short - came to the fore of the Northern Ireland public's knowledge in late 2016.

    The fallout from the scandal attached to it is still being felt in the region's politics today.

    A biomass boilerGetty 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.

  4. Good morning

    It's a blustery, autumnal morning on the Stormont Estate on what is the 94th day of Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry.

    After the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster faced her final appearance before the inquiry yesterday, there's much more to come from her party today.

    Stormont's Parliament Buildings

    A fair bit of the talk yesterday was about the power wielded by DUP advisers - two men who held that role will be in the inquiry hotseat today.

    John Robinson will open proceedings in the next few minutes, with Stephen Brimstone due to face questions this afternoon.

    We'll bring you a live video stream throughout the day and text commentary on the most important bits.