RHI scandal: No answer on disciplinary action for finance staff

The Department of Finance has not said whether any of its staff had faced disciplinary action over the RHI scandal.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Dec 2016, 18:07 BST
Updated 29th Dec 2016, 15:20 BST
Mairtin O Muilleoir, who took over Stormont's finance ministry in May, is pictured on a TV screen in Stormont's Parliament Buildings. It is not known if any disciplinary action against finance civil servants was ever taken over the RHI issueMairtin O Muilleoir, who took over Stormont's finance ministry in May, is pictured on a TV screen in Stormont's Parliament Buildings. It is not known if any disciplinary action against finance civil servants was ever taken over the RHI issue
Mairtin O Muilleoir, who took over Stormont's finance ministry in May, is pictured on a TV screen in Stormont's Parliament Buildings. It is not known if any disciplinary action against finance civil servants was ever taken over the RHI issue

On Monday in the Assembly, First Minister Arlene Foster said the fact the rate of subsidy was set higher than the cost of fuel – a mistake which lies at the crux of the whole scandal – had been set out “in black and white” in the original business plan in 2012.

However, it was not noticed either by officials in her Department of Trade, Enterprise and Investment (or DETI, which drew up the plan) or officials in the Department of Finance (which approved it).

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The News Letter had already tried to find out if any DETI officials had been disciplined, but the department had not revealed the answer.

The Department for Finance issued a statement on Tuesday which did not address that question, and only said that a string of reviews aimed at allowing DETI to ensure the scheme “remained fit for purpose” were supposed to have been carried out between 2012 and 2015, but were not.

Related topics:Arlene Foster