Foster should not quit over RHI scandal: Hamilton
ECONOMY Minister Simon Hamilton has said the First Minister should not resign, after a whistleblower claimed she warned Arlene Foster about the botched RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) scheme that may now cost the taxpayer more than £400m.
The woman told the BBC’s Nolan Show that it was clear that there was the potential for fraud in the scheme, and that she warned Mrs Foster, then the enterprise minister. The woman claimed only “five minutes of research” was needed to find problems.
But speaking on BBC NI’s The View, Mr Hamilton said: “No recommendation was brought forward to bring in cost control measures, and the issue hadn’t actually crystallised during her time in the Department.
“So when people are asking should she resign — absolutely she should not resign.”
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt yesterday repeated his call for the First Minister to consider her position, adding that she should offer a public apology to the whistleblower.