RHI audits won't begin until after the election

The Stormont department responsible for the RHI scheme is planning to begin tendering to inspect every non-domestic RHI installation just four days after the election.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Feb 2017, 09:13 BST
Updated 28th Feb 2017, 12:40 BST
A biomass boiler, such as those used under the RHI schemeA biomass boiler, such as those used under the RHI scheme
A biomass boiler, such as those used under the RHI scheme

The Department for the Economy, which is headed by the DUP’s Simon Hamilton, last week published a notice in the Official Journal of the EU stating that it intends to invite tenders for the audit on March 6.

The audit will be the first time that most of the 2,102 installations have ever been visited by government because just a tiny fraction were ever audited under the scheme’s original rules.

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Until now, most RHI claimants have simply been filing their own meter readings and being paid. The department cannot therefore even be certain that in every case there is a boiler or that the equipment matches that which is claimed to exist.

The lack of audits was a reason for the Audit Office qualifying the department’s accounts. Just 0.86% of boilers were inspected – compared to 1.86% in GB.

The department’s ‘Prior information notice’ in the EU journal states that the contract for the audits will be for eight months, suggesting that that is how long it will take to visit each site.

The auditor will have to submit a “final report summarising the findings, conclusions and making recommendations for future action”.

Related topics:Simon HamiltonDUP