Burned

by Sam McBride

  Lunny, Donal, 101, 102, 152, 231, 266, 276, 281–2, 296, 297

  Lynch, Martin, 268

  Lyttle, Chris, 60

  Macauley, Conor, 224, 279, 284

  MacLean, Dr Keith, 43, 48, 158–9, 188, 276, 351

  Magee, Tracey, 232–3, 234

  maintenance contract extension for Red Sky Ltd, the, 238

  Manley, John, 224

  Marfrig, 288–9

  Mark, David, 106–7, 138–9, 141, 154–5, 205, 211, 291, 295–6, 298

  Maxwell, Amanda, 316

  Maxwell, Fred, 315–16

  May, Theresa, 344

  Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation, the, 9

  McAdam, Noel, 270

  McAfee, Rachel, 29

  McAleer, Ryan, 180

  McArdle, Mary, 337–8

  McArthur, Catherine, 57

  McAteer, Aidan, 207–8, 209, 338, 339

  McBride, Sam, 263

  McCann, Brendan, 247

  McCann, Eamonn, 244, 252

  McCausland, Nelson, 238

  McCay, Davina, 84, 88, 104, 105

  McClughan, Patrick, 151

  McCollum, Janet, 210, 296, 297, 298

  McCormick, Dr Andrew, 12, 13–14, 16, 85, 127, 164, 165, 190, 196, 198, 201–2, 209, 254, 269, 305, 337; on Crawford, 9, 100, 101, 160, 161, 260, 264, 265–6, 323; and the list of names leaking insider tip-offs, 260, 261, 263, 265; and the Public Accounts Committee, 226, 317, 322; and regrets, 160, 329–30; and relations with Jonathan Bell, 8–10, 11, 204, 217; and the request by Cairns to delay subsidy reduction, 186, 187; and RHI funding and budgeting, 116, 117, 163, 193, 212, 220, 322; and testimony to the inquiry, 248, 263, 323–4

  McCracken, Terence, 173–4

  McCrea, Ian, 250

  McCrossan, Daniel, 224

  McCullough, Susie, 348

  McCune, Rodney, 108

  McCutcheon, Joanne, 24, 54, 55, 57, 70, 79, 84, 86

  McDonald, Mary Lou, 255

  McElhatton, Michael, 222, 223

  McFarland, Clive, 14, 68–9

  McGleenan, Tony, 308–9

  McGlone, Patsy, 59, 93, 94, 184–5

  McGuckian, Barney, 306–8

  McGuckian, Liam, 306–8

  McGuinness, Martin, 5, 18, 205, 207, 208, 232, 255, 256, 257, 267, 328, 353; request to Arlene Foster to stand down, 252, 253, 270

  McIlveen, Michelle, 204

  McIlween, David, 258

  McIlwrath, Lavelle, 99

  McKibbin, Sir Malcolm, 199, 200, 201–2, 205, 208, 227, 232, 327, 338–9

  McMullan, Connel, 175–6

  McNaughton, Sean, 301

  media coverage, 248

  metering, 74, 96

  Middleton, Gary, 250

  Mills, John, 85, 108, 122, 127, 133–4, 156, 164, 165, 189, 190, 215, 327; and cost controls, 90, 99, 136–7, 157, 321; and culpability, 98, 193; and disagreements with the DETI Finance department, 117, 120; and dismissal of a different NI tiering system, 159, 160; on funding and budgeting, 163, 193, 219–20, 321; and leaks of sensitive information to outside companies, 172–3, 177–8; and RHI expansion, 82–3, 84; on RHI uptake, 76, 84

  ministerial directions, 160, 186, 281, 330

  Moloney, Ed, 268

  Moore, Oliver, 56

  moral hazard and government expenditure, 320–1, 325

  Morelli, Emer, 153

  Morrow, Iain, 28, 29, 32

  Morrow, Lord, 217, 282

  Moy Park Ltd, 69, 106, 138–9, 144, 158, 173, 176, 287–8, 289–95, 315, 318; and benefits from RHI, 296–300, 303–4, 307; and expansion plans, 300–1, 302–3; and links to the DUP and Executive, 100–1, 137, 141, 154, 155, 159, 205, 210–12, 291–2, 294, 298–9, 302, 303–4; and lobbying, 211, 292, 293–4, 305, 307, 313; and payments to farmers, 295, 296

  Mullan, Mike, 211, 291, 298

  multiple small boilers and the maximising of subsidy rates, 54, 65, 70, 95, 96, 103, 137, 148, 158, 180–1, 186, 209–10, 250, 313–14 (see also lucrativeness of boiler installations)

  Murdoch, Rupert, 94

  Murphy, Conor, 208, 215, 255

  Murphy, Shane, 30–1, 116, 121, 122, 189

  Museum of Free Derry project, the, 348–9

  mushroom farming and biomass boilers, 305

  NAMA, 152

  nepotism, 149, 150

  net employment generated, 188

  New York trade mission, 203–4

  Newell, Colin, 306

  Newman, Richard, 226, 229

  News Quiz, The (radio show), 258

  Newton, Robin, 59, 253

  Ní Chuilín, Carál, 337–8

  Nicol, Alastair, 96–7

  NIRO (Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation), the, 29, 52, 125, 127, 143, 151, 152, 190, 196

  NITB (Northern Ireland Tourist Board), the, 291, 347, 350 (see also Clarke, Alan)

  Nitrates Directive, the, 290

  no-confidence motion in Arlene Foster, 254

  Nolan, Dermot, 245

  Nolan, Stephen, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6–7, 12–15, 169, 234, 247, 249

  Nolan Show, The (TV show), 7, 12, 16, 234, 247, 249

  non-recording of government meetings and decisions, the, 34, 46, 58, 112, 113–16, 236, 267, 287, 327, 348 (see also private email account use)

  Northern Ireland Assembly, the, 94, 243–4, 251; elections to, 263, 269, 270–1, 344

  Northern Ireland Audit Office, the, 70, 123, 160, 219–20, 221, 222, 224, 226, 242, 309 (see also audits)

  Northern Ireland Civil Service, the, 11, 19, 23–4, 31, 84–6, 119, 325–30, 354, 355

  Ó Muilleoir, Máirtín, 208, 224, 267, 268, 269, 273–4, 280, 338, 341

  oats as biomass fuel, 102

  O’Brien, Dame Una, 118, 130, 177, 246, 276, 329, 351

  O’Dornan, David, 5

  O’Dowd, John, 254

  Ofgem, 72–3, 89, 96, 97, 171, 172, 210, 286; and boiler inspections, 62, 209, 223, 245–6, 314, 315; and budgeting issues with DETI, 91, 110–11; and investigation of Stephen Brimstone, 240–2, 243, 245–6; and recommendations for cost controls, 53–8, 86, 103; and usage updates to DETI, 91, 110, 123, 124

  O’Hagan, Janette, 77–81, 86, 87–8, 104–5, 107, 121, 178, 179, 222, 223, 234, 235, 247–8

  Oliver, Jamie, 300

  O’Neill, Julian, 349

  O’Neill, Michelle, 64–5, 123–4, 208

  O’Neill, Tony, 292

  order for Routemaster buses from Wrightbus, 216–17

  Osborne, Christopher, 101–2, 137, 138, 172, 212

  OSI group, the, 288

  Overend, Sandra, 60

  overspend in budgets, 35, 84, 109, 120, 160–1, 182, 183, 219, 229–30, 266, 270, 309–10; and AME, 36, 37–8; awareness of by Arlene Foster, 187, 197, 220; overstatement of the scale of, 313 (see also funding of the RHI)

  Owen, Kirby, 43–4

  PAC (Public Accounts Committee), the, 11, 43, 223–4, 226, 262, 264, 317, 322, 326

  Paisley, Ian, 3, 31, 203, 257

  Paisley, Ian (Jnr), 16–17

  Palmer, Jenny, 238

  Panorama (TV show), 268

  Parker, Jon, 36, 105, 191

  Partridge, Jeff, 109

  Patel, Akhil, 37–8

  Patton, Gareth, 315

  payment calculations for boilers, 89

  People Before Profit, 251–2

  Phoblacht, An (newspaper), 256

  Pilgrim’s Pride, 288

  political attractiveness of RHI, the, 31–2

  political satire, 258

  Poots, Edwin, 9, 151–2, 258, 271, 290

  Porter, Marcus, 55, 56

  Post-it note communications, 115

  poultry farmers’ usage, 124, 137, 138–9, 144, 301, 311, 312, 314–18 (see also boiler usage)

  poultry industry and biomass heating systems, the, 106, 139–40, 177, 205; and tip-offs to ahead of ministerial decisions, 176–8, 212, 259–62, 263, 265

  poultry
litter, 290–1, 293, 303, 304

  poultry manure technology, 69–70

  prerogative powers, 251

  press office, the, 327

  Priestly, Paul, 326

  private email account use, 197–8, 221, 283, 284, 339–42

  private member’s bill on spads with criminal records, 338

  project management to ensure continuity in the RHI scheme, 85–6

  Provisional IRA, the, 181, 257, 267, 268, 345

  PSNI, the, 243

  public consultation process, the, 32–3, 40, 122

  public inquiry into the RHI scandal, the, 21, 32, 39–40, 56–7, 95–6, 152, 169, 175, 208, 221, 231, 243, 246, 279–84, 299, 329–30, 335; and calls for, 252, 255–6, 273; cost of, 285–6; and external pressures on, 279, 280; and O’Hagan emails, 107; and political U-turns on calls for it, 273; and powers and remit of under Sir Patrick Coghlin, 69, 274–8, 279; testimony by Andrew Crawford, 28, 48, 50, 51–2, 100, 113, 142–3, 145–51, 153–4, 205, 228, 277, 323–4; and testimony by Arlene Foster, 15–16, 33–4, 38, 46–9, 52–3, 57, 60, 135, 195, 201, 218, 346–7, 351–2; and testimony by Fiona Hepper, 42–3, 58, 80; testimony by Jonathan Bell, 11–12, 131, 197–8, 276, 277–8, 280–1; and testimony by Stuart Wightman, 176–8, 190; and testimony by Timothy Cairns, 131, 139, 141, 160, 162, 214, 278, 281, 282, 333, 351

  public perceptions of Stormont, 354

  public spending budgets, 23, 109, 110–11 (see also funding of the RHI; overspend in budgets)

  publication of the list of RHI claimants, 271–2

  PwC (Price Waterhouse Coopers), 108, 124, 178, 303

  Pyper, Jenny, 24

  Reconnect grant scheme, the, 30, 37

  Red Sky Ltd, 238, 354

  regulatory impact assessment documents, 47, 48, 214

  Reid, Paul, 250

  REM (Renewable Energy Manufacturing) Ltd, 69, 70

  Renewable Heat Association, the, 73

  Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) Act (2012), the, 58–60

  renewable installers at Department of Agriculture events, 64

  Republic of Ireland scheme, the, 313

  resignations and reappointments within the Stormont Executive, 181–2

  resources available to the civil service, 327–8

  responsibility and efforts to remove culpability, 201–2, 225, 235; and Arlene Foster, 50, 68, 97, 112–13, 206, 224–5, 249, 336, 351

  retrospective approval for boilers, 188, 190

  RHANI (Renewable Heat Association of Northern Ireland), the, 308–9, 311, 312–13

  RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) scheme, the, 2, 20, 31–2, 51–2, 71–2, 288, 294, 354–7; amendments to the scheme, 82, 86; closure of, 192–3, 195–6, 205, 207–8, 210–11, 214, 216, 228, 303; and expansion of, 73–4, 91, 92–3, 94, 103–4, 306; lack of monitoring or amendments to the scheme, 62, 64–5, 67, 72, 80, 90–1; marketing of the RHI scheme, 66, 73, 89, 90, 139, 170, 171, 250; and Moy Park, 294, 303; recommendations by DETI for, 29–30, 33; and resources for, 24, 108; and retrospective cuts, 266, 307, 308, 309, 311–12; reviews of, 97–9, 118–21; and take-up by farmers, 64, 65, 271–2 (see also DETI (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment), the; funding of the RHI)

  Rial, Sergio, 289

  Robinson, David, 154

  Robinson, Gareth, 94, 130, 150, 151–2

  Robinson, Gavin, 166

  Robinson, Iris, 9, 252–3

  Robinson, John, 11, 69, 242, 261–2, 263, 264–5, 284, 332, 334

  Robinson, Jonathan, 17

  Robinson, Peter, 9, 136, 151, 153, 280, 328, 332, 335, 336, 339, 341; and the breakfast row between Bell and Cairns, 129, 131; and relations with Jonathan Bell, 6, 10, 17–18, 168–9, 195, 207, 217, 218, 278; resignation as First Minister, 252–3, 345; retirement of, 194, 252–3, 345

  ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates), 143

  Rooney, Eugene, 133, 162, 209

  Rose Energy, 290

  R&S Biomass, 154

  Rudd, Amber, 125

  Rural Generation Ltd, 61, 62

  sale of property loans to a US vulture fund, 152–3

  Saville inquiry, the, 283

  Scappaticci informer affair, the, 268

  scepticism about green energy, 25–6, 93, 221

  Scoffield, David, QC, 4–5, 11–12, 38, 40, 48, 60, 175, 276, 278, 299, 323, 351

  Scott, Michelle, 153

  SDLP, the, 224, 253, 338

  Secret History of the IRA, A (book), 268

  Section 21 of the Inquiries Act, 148, 149, 276

  security protocols and private email accounts, 340–2

  Shaw, Elaine, 305

  Simpson, John, 229

  Sinn Féin, 15, 24, 31, 64, 153, 193, 196, 207, 220, 266–9, 270, 271, 273, 290, 327, 331, 340, 341; and governing with the DUP, 34, 208–9, 216, 251, 252–3, 255–7, 269, 284, 324, 326, 353; and spads, 335, 337–9

  Slugger O’Toole (blog), 45, 49–50

  Smith, Alan, 188–9

  Solmatix Ltd, 73, 139, 140

  Somerville, Neil, 250

  Source Material (website), 292–3

  Spackman, Conor, 226–7, 229, 230

  spads (special advisors), 51, 128–9, 195–6, 208, 217, 221–2, 331–7 (see also Brimstone, Stephen; Cairns, Timothy; Crawford, Andrew; Johnston, Timothy; McAteer, Aidan)

  Spence, Thomas James, 180

  spending recommendations for a renewable heat scheme, 27–8

  spike in demand ahead of tariff control legislation, 8, 133, 141–2, 156, 157, 161, 171–2, 176–7, 179, 181, 185, 191, 205, 211–12, 213, 216, 249, 260

  Spotlight (BBC show), 5, 194, 224, 226–8, 229–30, 232, 234, 243, 247, 249, 357

  staff changes in DETI, 85–7, 97

  Stalford, Christopher, 169

  statutory powers of MLAs, 94

  Sterling, David, 34, 85, 87, 193, 202, 252, 269, 323, 326–7, 329, 348, 349–50

  Stewart, Chris, 85, 160–1, 165, 178, 181, 186, 196, 205, 206, 331; and budgets and expenditure, 116–17, 133, 191–2; and cost controls, 136–7, 156–7; and receiving rumours of RHI abuse, 162, 190

  Storey, Mervyn, 135–6, 210, 248–9

  Stormont Executive, the, 7, 20, 181–2, 208, 250, 251, 252, 327–8; and links to Moy Park, 302

  submission to shut down the RHI and NIRO, 195–7

  subsidies and EU state law, 304

  subsidy rates and the cost of fuel, 40–1, 42–4, 49, 62, 63, 65, 66–7, 68, 70–1, 138, 171, 230, 318–19; and cuts, 154, 283; and maximising subsidy payments with multiple boilers, 54, 65, 70, 95, 96, 103, 137, 148, 158, 180–1, 186, 209–10, 250, 313–14

  Sugden, Claire, 256

  Sunday World (newspaper), 68

  Swann, Robin, 223, 224

  Talkback (radio show), 334–5

  tariff rates, 99, 119, 125, 302; and tariff reduction, 72, 82, 106; and tiering in the GB scheme, 38, 39, 40–1, 44–5, 49, 55, 56, 72, 77, 93, 98, 103, 104, 158, 171, 209–10, 246, 318; and tiering of, 38, 39, 40–1, 42, 44, 49, 59, 122, 137, 140, 156, 158, 173, 174, 182–3, 184–5, 209, 246

  taxpayer costs, 2, 23, 30–1, 45, 67, 92, 110, 163, 183, 185, 187, 189, 207, 209, 220, 229, 231, 245, 307, 322, 324, 325, 328; and cost of the public inquiry, 285, 286; and the funding of spads’ salaries, 51, 222, 333, 334, 335–6; and impact of the spike in RHI applications, 172, 179–80; and the impact of tiering, 15, 38, 72; subsidising of Moy Park, 155, 211, 212, 293, 300, 304

  technology costs and subsidy levels, 72

  television interviews with Foster, 233–4, 235

  Thatcher, Margaret, 336

  Thompson, David, 5, 13

  Thompson, Wallace, 348

  Thomson, David, 58, 85, 303–4, 348

  ‘tip-offs’ to the poultry industry ahead of ministerial decisions, 176–8, 212, 259–62, 263, 265

  Tourism Ireland, 350

  trade missions, 203–4, 288–9

  Travers, Ann, 338


  Travers, Mary, 337–8

  Treasury, the, 320, 325 (see also funding of the RHI; philosophy of maximising Treasury funding to Ulster)

  TRIM data management system, the, 72, 86

  Trimble, Andrew, 308

  Troubles and government spending, the, 320

  Tughans (law firm), 152

  Turnbull, Samantha, 243

  Turton, Andrew, 22

  TUV (Traditional Unionist Voice), the, 168, 335 (see also Allister, Jim)

  UFU (Ulster Farmers’ Union), the, 61, 101–2, 137, 138, 139, 140, 162, 172, 176, 212, 263–4

  Ulster Unionist Party, the, 26

  underspend of funds available, 37, 91, 191, 313; and the return of money to the Treasury due to, 84, 98 (see also AME (Annually Managed Expenditure); overspend in budgets)

  Unionist perceptions of the Republic of Ireland, 353–4

  usage updates, 91, 106; from Ofgem, 91, 110, 123, 124 (see also boiler usage; poultry farmers’ usage)

  UTV, 232–3

  UUP (Ulster Unionist Party), the, 26, 224, 344, 345

  Verbatim Communications, 150

  View, The (TV show), 352

  Villiers, Theresa, 217

  Wallace, Mick, 152

  Ward, Edmund, 73, 86, 240

  Ware, John, 268

  Wells, Jim, 112

  Wightman, Stuart, 83, 85, 107, 118, 120, 138, 156, 190, 218–19, 238, 303, 306, 329; and awareness of abuse, 139, 140; and budgeting and expenditure, 106, 109, 116, 133, 134, 140; and leaking of changes to outside industry, 173, 174, 175, 176–9, 259–61; and the misrepresentation of DETI’s performance, 119, 120, 214–15; and presentation of misleading information to the enterprise committee, 182–4, 188, 327; and reining in RHI, 109–10, 122; and self-belief, 108, 119; and testimony to the inquiry, 119, 120, 189, 190; on uptake and usage, 106, 119, 123, 156, 181; warning to Ofgem of pressure to cut budgets, 91, 111

  Wilkinson, Tomas, 219

  Wilson, Padraic, 267, 268

  Wilson, Sammy, 26, 66, 93, 168, 221, 258

  wind farms, 52

  wood chip and pellets for biomass boilers, 61, 67, 74, 102, 138, 174, 222, 228, 237, 238, 240–1, 260, 272, 306, 312, 319

  Woods, Michael, 218–19

  Yangdong, Madam Liu, 232

  Yes, Prime Minister (TV show), 114

  Young, David, 224

  Senior civil servant Fiona Hepper briefed Arlene Foster as RHI was designed.

  Young DETI official Peter Hutchinson was key to designing the scheme.

  This chart from the NI Audit Office shows how the tiered GB scheme became less generous – while Stormont’s became more lucrative.