RHI inquiry set to begin
A public inquiry into Stormont's renewable heat scandal will convene for the first time later.
Last updated 27th Apr 2017
This is a preliminary hearing as part of this public inquiry and it will be the first opportunity for Chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin to talk about his work.
Its expected he will introduce his panel who are working alongside him and then make a statement about the prepartory work that has been undertaken to date.
We already know there is a huge amount of material from many different organisations that needed to be gathered before the full public hearings could start.
More details will also be given about how the inquiry is gathering evidence and the procedures in which it intends to operate under.
It had been thought the inquiry could be done within 6 months but its now expected to last much longer and cost over 4 million pounds.
The hearing will take place in the Long Gallery of Parliament Buildings on Thursday morning.
The RHI inquiry was set up after it emerged the ill-fated green energy scheme had left the Stormont executive facing a potential overspend bill of £490 million.
Former Democratic Unionist first minister Arlene Foster established the scheme in 2012 when she was enterprise minister.
Flaws in its design meant recipients were able to earn more in state subsidies than it actually cost to run their eco-boilers.
When the "cash for ash'' crisis flared during the winter, the late former Sinn Fein deputy first minister Martin McGuinness asked Mrs Foster to stand aside.
When she refused, he resigned and collapsed Stormont's power-sharing institutions.
A new coalition government has still not been formed two months on from the subsequent snap Assembly election in March.