A NEW REPORT has found that changes to the Northern Ireland RHI scheme has created a “raw deal” for its participants – and questioned the practice of “rushing through” legislation relating to the country in Westminster.
Poultry.Network has reported in the past that the changes to
tariffs, introduced in April this year, would see an average subsidy for a
biomass boiler going from about £13,000 to £2,200 a year – compared with an
average of £5,300 a year in Great Britain.
The inquiry was held by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and looks solely at the changes introduced in April.
Its report says the changes were “rushed”, having been
introduced after just one days’ debate in parliament, and urges the Department
for the Economy in Northern Ireland to revisit the tariffs “as soon as possible”.
MPs found that the new tariffs were based on “unrealistically
low costing” resulting in unfair payments to NI participants. They did not
account for the cost of servicing or repairs of biomass boilers.
And that a buy-out scheme was not applicable to enough
participants, and there was no right to challenge any valuation offered.
RHI participants in Northern Ireland are now facing a raw
deal with some payments worth half as much, or more, as in Great Britain or the
Republic of Ireland.
Committee chair Simon Hoare MP said: “Difficulties with RHI
have already risked losing public confidence in state-backed schemes, and the
Department must address these errors.
“We also want to see an end to Northern Ireland legislation
being rushed through Westminster without time for essential scrutiny.”
Avril
In evidence offered to the committee, she said: “I have protected my business through turbulent years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and numerous recessions – the most recent one in 2007, only to observe a “Government-backed,” “Grandfathered scheme” seem set to destroy it.
“This is
Words cannot describe my anguish despair and downright blatant attempt by DfE, assisted by our British g
