Ulster Unionist economy spokesperson Steve Aiken MLA has called on the Economy Minister to spell out what programmes and areas of expenditure are being cut within the current financial year to pay for the significant overspend in the Renewable Heating Initiative (RHI).
Chairing a meeting of the Economy Committee at Randox in his constituency, Mr Aiken said:
“Members will have heard the Finance Minister detail to the Assembly on Tuesday how much the Executive’s budget is being hit by the overspend in the Renewable Heating Incentive - currently subject to an investigation from both the Public Accounts Committee and the Department for the Economy.
“We have been told that the Executive has set aside £20 million of the resource budget in this financial year to meet pressures arising from the RHI scheme. This does not tally with a recent written answer the Finance Minister, issued which said the Department for the Economy had projected a funding deficit of around £30m for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme in the current year.
“Whilst urgent clarity is required about the exact figures, we are talking about a major and self-inflicted hole in the Department for the Economy’s budget. I am proposing the Committee writes to the Minister asking how these major extra costs are going to be absorbed in year by the Department for the Economy. The question we need answered is simple: what programmes and areas of normal Departmental expenditure, targeted at growing the Northern Ireland economy, are being abandoned this year, and in the years to come because of the RHI scandal?”