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| RHI inquiry: 'Conspiracy of silence' around scheme | RHI inquiry: 'Conspiracy of silence' around scheme |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The public inquiry into a botched renewable heating scheme (RHI) has been told that there was a "conspiracy of silence" around the flawed scheme. | The public inquiry into a botched renewable heating scheme (RHI) has been told that there was a "conspiracy of silence" around the flawed scheme. |
| A legal representative for the Department for the Economy (DfE) said the full lessons of what had gone wrong would only be learnt when the reasons for that conspiracy were understood. | A legal representative for the Department for the Economy (DfE) said the full lessons of what had gone wrong would only be learnt when the reasons for that conspiracy were understood. |
| But a lack of cost controls meant it could overspend by £700m over 20 years. | But a lack of cost controls meant it could overspend by £700m over 20 years. |
| The inquiry into the scheme began on Tuesday. | The inquiry into the scheme began on Tuesday. |
| Counsel for DfE Neasa Murnaghan QC said the department wanted to repeat its apology for its own failings. | Counsel for DfE Neasa Murnaghan QC said the department wanted to repeat its apology for its own failings. |
| These included the lack of cost controls in the original regulations and the failure to spot that application numbers and boiler usage were diverging from what had been projected. | These included the lack of cost controls in the original regulations and the failure to spot that application numbers and boiler usage were diverging from what had been projected. |
| The department had also failed to undertake the required review; had not addressed key concerns about the scheme identified by a civil servant in 2014, and had not pushed through the eventual cost controls quickly enough. | The department had also failed to undertake the required review; had not addressed key concerns about the scheme identified by a civil servant in 2014, and had not pushed through the eventual cost controls quickly enough. |
| It had also been responsible for the "premature release" of information about changes in the tariff rate to the industry prior to new rates of subsidy being brought in. | It had also been responsible for the "premature release" of information about changes in the tariff rate to the industry prior to new rates of subsidy being brought in. |
| However, the department's counsel said it had also relied on expert advice from consultants and solicitors which had "exacerbated" some of those problems. | However, the department's counsel said it had also relied on expert advice from consultants and solicitors which had "exacerbated" some of those problems. |
| The inquiry heard that some departmental civil servants had engaged their own lawyers because they wanted to express a different view in respect of some of the evidence to the corporate view of the department. | The inquiry heard that some departmental civil servants had engaged their own lawyers because they wanted to express a different view in respect of some of the evidence to the corporate view of the department. |
| The inquiry was told there had been a high turnover of staff in the department in the lifetime of the RHI scheme. | The inquiry was told there had been a high turnover of staff in the department in the lifetime of the RHI scheme. |