Inquiry into RHI debacle has laid bare the scale of incompetence within our Stormont Executive

THE ongoing RHI debacle has clearly demonstrated that our Executive was totally incapable of managing the scheme from the beginning.

In contrast to Northern Ireland, the parent scheme operating in GB managed by 77 civil servants did not have any problems at all, as it was correctly capped.

It also revealed that chronic levels of nepotism and cronyism existed within the Executive during the period the scheme operated.

In addition, the revelations coming from the inquiry show that there was a cavalier attitude to how the taxpayer-funded scheme was managed.

For example, former Spad Andrew Crawford was reported as saying “we could fill our boots with the money from the scheme” as he naively thought it came from the Treasury, rather than the Northern Ireland Block Grant.

Moreover, the political vacuum created by the collapse of Executive has unearthed other singular facets unique to Northern Ireland. If one examines the many interrelationships within its political ecosystem, it reads rather like a DUP Who’s Who, or family tree.

For example, we have husband-andwife teams (Diane Dodds MEP, Nigel Dodds MP), we have MPs related to senior civil servants (Emma Little Pengelly MP, Richard Pengelly, Permanent Secretary for Health), we have father-and-son teams, too (Edwin Poots MLA, Luke Poots, councillor).

When the £8m Renewable Heat Incentive inquiry is finally completed next year and the report is published, I trust that those responsible for the wanton misuse of public finance (politicians, civil servants, advisers) in the order of £500m will face criminal prosecution for misconduct in office.

As the Roman poet Juvenal says in his Satires, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?” (“Who guards the guards themselves?”)

ROBERT ANDREWS

By email