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The Nolan Show

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Breaking news and hard-hitting talk about the big stories of the day.

Breaking news and hard-hitting talk - Stephen Nolan gets you talking about the big stories of the day.

Breaking news and hard-hitting talk - Stephen Nolan gets you talking about the big stories of the day. Call Stephen on 03030 80 55 55 (standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply), text 81771 or email nolan@bbc.co.uk.

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The Nolan Show: Renewable Heating Initiative scandal - hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money lost

Stormont

07/12/2016

Renewable Heating Initiative scandal - hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money lost

BBC Radio Ulster - The Nolan Show, Renewable Heating Initiative scandal - hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money lost

Hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money lost in Renewable Heating Initiative.

Renewable Heating Initiative scandal - hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money lost.

"The biggest financial scandal in living memory" - the words from an exchange between the chairperson of Stormont's public accounts committee Robin Swann and Andrew McCormick the permanent secretary from the Department of Economy just last month. They're talking about a scheme called the Renewable Heating Initiative. It was meant to help local businesses move to green energy heating systems. But serious systematic failings of the scheme will hit Northern Ireland's budget by hundreds of millions of pounds over the next 20 years. Different ways of controlling costs were used. And advice from a whistle-blower seemingly ignored. It was a scheme which that whistle-blower said was being abused by businesses. Businesses who were putting in heaters that they didn't need so they could profit by up to a million pounds over 20 years. That whistle-blower sent a warning email in 2014 to the Department of Enterprise, two years before the scheme closed, but advice in it was ignored. Because of that hundreds of millions pounds of the Northern Ireland budget, your money, has been lost. On today's Nolan Show we take an in depth look at the Renewable Heating Initiative.

Stephen talks to TUV MLA Jim Allister, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone, UUP MLA Steve Aiken and we take your calls.

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Renewable Heating Initiative scandal - hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money lost

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