- Foster was actively assuring banks in 2013 about RHI scheme
- Another fine mess for a scandal prone Executive
- Foster is right at the centre of RHI scandal
Steve Aiken OBE MLA, Ulster Unionist Party Economy spokesperson, said:
“The latest information contained in correspondence from Arlene Foster to local banks and lending institutions in January 2013 shows the urgent need for Mrs Foster and the Executive to publish all material in relation to the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
“It is clear that Arlene Foster wrote to banks and lending institutions to vouch for the validity of the now scandalised Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. She was actively assuring lending institutions about the RHI scheme based on tariffs which have now created a mammoth bill for Northern Ireland`s finances, currently estimated at £490 million, and tellingly talks about 'providing certainty for investors by setting a guaranteed support level for projects for their lifetime in a scheme, regardless of future reviews’ and ‘the government support, on offer through the incentive schemes, is reliable, long term and offers a good return on investment’.
“Given that someone in the Executive was flying a kite last week about the closure of the scheme, perhaps Arlene Foster can explain how they`re going to do that given that she herself wrote to banks and lending institutions to assure them about the tariffs and the consistency of support over 20 years? It`s another fine mess for a scandal prone Executive, and Mrs Foster is right at the centre of this one."