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A FORMER NORTHERN Ireland Minister has claimed that First Minister Arlene Foster reacted hostilely to news that a government energy scheme was being abused, and refused to shut it down.
The scheme which was to promote the use of renewable energy in Northern Ireland was found to have serious flaws in half of installations inspected by the North’s Public Accounts Committee.
The idea was that businesses would be paid for the amount of renewable energy they used – but this prompted businesses to keep heating on all year round and to earn more money.
In a BBC Northern Ireland interview, Bell alleged that Foster knew about the scheme and staunchly defended the scheme.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary of my department asked me something that was highly unusual and only done once, in the five years I sat on the executive.
He asked to meet the minister as he’s entitled to do, to whistleblow on a one-to-one basis.
“[He said that] the purpose of me being here today and for you not having even your own special advisor with you, is Minister we have to advise you that without your knowledge, the special advisor of your department has been asked by the other special advisors to remove references to Arlene Foster, the First Minister, and to the department of Finance and Personnel.”
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Niall Carson
Niall Carson
When Arlene Foster was appointed the minister for the Northern Ireland department for finance in May 2015, Jonathan Bell succeeded her as the Minister for Energy Trade and Investment.
I was ordered to appear in front of the First Minister. In the strongest terms possible, both in volume and force, Arlene Foster overruled me and told me to keep the scheme open.
“Hostile, fear, and abusive,” is how Bell described the meeting with Foster.
When asked “abusive in what way,” he answered ”She walked in and shouted at me that I would keep this scheme open.”
Arlene Foster denies any involvement keeping the flaws of the scheme hidden, and told Irish News in a video interview that she had actually reported the flaws to the relevant people once she was made aware.
Although she regrets the flaws in the scheme that lead to its abuse, she defended the idea of a renewable energy scheme.
It’s thought the scandal will cost Northern Ireland taxpayers £400 million.
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Washington street is one of the main thoroughfares through the city and its a bit run down in places. It’d be great to see an injection of life into it
I agree with Hurley on many of those points but in fairness she’s OTT too. I mean its only a portion of the entire street not a whole section of the city no matter what the history and admits the planners were admirable in their plans anyway. Its seems hard to get anything done these days when its badly needed. The ongoing saga of the old Beamish brewery is a complete farce at this stage too.
Generally student ghettos tend to be the worst kind of housing ghettos when it comes to antisocial behaviour, noise, late night partying, abandoning cars everywhere, putting furniture on the streets, not taking care of rubbish, et cetera. And that’s before we even think about so-called RAG week. Until we educate our youth about community living and values, who could blame anyone not wanting them anywhere near them? Parents really need to take more responsibility.
@Dr Richard DeWitt: what college are you hanging out near?! Went to college in Cork ten years ago, still live near UCC and I’ve never seen anything like that. There’s parties occasionally but they’re all gone out around 11. Rag week is a little messy but there’s no badness in it. You sound like a grumpy old fart. Maybe you should partake in rag week and enjoy yourself
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