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The Nolan Show: The Assembly statement at height of the cash-for-ash scandal

08/06/2018

The Assembly statement at height of the cash-for-ash scandal

BBC Radio Ulster - The Nolan Show, The Assembly statement at height of the cash-for-ash scandal

Did it show the candour which might have been expected?

Did Arlene Foster show the candour which might have been expected during her Assembly statement at the height of the cash-for-ash scandal?

Candour - defined as "the quality of being open and transparent". On Tuesday, solicitor to the RHI inquiry David Scoffield told the inquiry that it will have to decide whether an Arlene Foster assembly statement at the height of the green energy scheme scandal showed the "candour" which might have been expected. Mrs Foster addressed the assembly in December 2016 as the political row over cash for ash intensified. It followed the explosive interview given to Stephen by her former party colleague Jonathan Bell. In it he claimed some in the DUP had worked to keep the scheme open as he tried to close it, allowing hundreds of applicants to pile in and qualify for lucrative payments. That was denied. So what did Arlene Foster say in her speech to Assembly that day in December 2016? Well she said she was sorry that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme "did not contain cost control measures". She also said there were "fundamental flaws in its design." Mrs Foster was speaking in the chamber to only DUP MLAs. That's because all the other assembly members had left in protest. Stephen spoke to Newsletter political editor Sam McBride.

Also on the programme - "If you want support, you must not show any uncertainty. You must take ownership of the deal." A key line from Peter Robinson's lecture at Queen's University last night. The former DUP leader - now an Honorary Professor in Peace Studies - had a lot to say about leadership and the collapse of talks at Stormont in February. Some observers think his speech contained a thinly veiled attack on his successor Arlene Foster. Stephen got reaction from Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Allison Morris from the Irish News and commentator Alex Kane.

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