Recommendation RHI-2: Novel Policy Scrutiny
From The Report of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme, published 13 March 2020.
Recommendation
Novel, potentially volatile and untested initiatives should in future be scrutinised thoroughly, well ahead of ministerial and business case approval. The Inquiry commends processes such as a 'starting point Gateway assessment' and, at a suitable point, a 'feasibility signoff' completed by the Department's Accounting Officer. With regard to particular policies driven by unpredictable demand, consideration should always be given, before the policy is implemented, to the inclusion of a clearly drafted statutory power to enable swift action to be taken to suspend and/or close the scheme in order to bring it under control.
In brief (written by this site)
In February 2025, the Northern Ireland Executive stated that officials would provide policy advice to HOPP by March 2025 on how to address the recommendation (Northern Ireland Executive, Feb 2025). In October 2024, the Northern Ireland Audit Office found that the recommendation as a whole was likely to be fully carried out based on planned action (Northern Ireland Audit Office, Oct 2024). Earlier, in March 2024, the Department of Finance reported that the published guidance document Making a Difference highlighted modelling extreme circumstances, unexpected negative consequences, and communicating risks clearly and realistically to senior management (Department of Finance, Mar 2024).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
These recommendations can be accepted in full.
Some elements are addressed in existing guidance, including:
• the role of the Senior Responsible Officer in respect of the delivery of a project or programme;
• existing Business Case guidance;
• the obligation upon civil servants under their Code of Ethics to provide objective and impartial advice, and to give Ministers all the facts;
• departmental systems to set priorities and targets (consistent with the PfG) to report progress against key targets.
They have been addressed in work to date through:
• the review of recruitment and selection policies and practices as part of the NICS People Strategy;
• the Review of Business Case and Expenditure Approval processes.
Further work is required to:
• reflect key principles in the guidance relating to policy making, Business Cases, Project Management including GatewayTM guidance, and risk-management;
• address the knowledge and skills of those in policy roles, including training with an emphasis on modelling and testing, by conducting a fundamental review of the Practical Guide to Policy Making through the Policy Champions’’ Network, and follow through to the Policy Skills Guide and policy-skills training offer.;
• embed NICS ethical standards;
• ensure financial and non-financial performance target reporting to the Minister, including outside the budget period.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: These are the Northern Ireland Executive's words from Annex A, "Summary of Recommendations and Response", published on this page with the Executive Response to the RHI Inquiry Report Recommendations and Action Plan on 7 October 2021, the day the Executive agreed it. The Department of Finance publishes the response, but it is the Executive's, so the site records it under the Executive. The annex is a PDF that the publisher asks automated readers not to fetch, so the site cites the page that links it.
Site note: Annex A gives this passage once, for the recommendations under its heading "PROFESSIONAL SKILLS: POLICY SKILLS": recommendations 1, 2, 3 and 4. It is the Executive's response to the group, not to this recommendation alone.
Delivery
Northern Ireland Executive says in progress (19 February 2025)
Officials will provide policy advice to HOPP on how to address this by March 2025
From: Implementation of the Recommendations of the RHI Inquiry (publication page for three documents)
Site note: This page publishes three monitoring tables: the Department of Finance's of 1 September 2023 and 14 March 2024, and the Executive's table of 19 February 2025 of commitments on the remaining recommendations. None of the three lists every recommendation. The row carries the table's own cell for this recommendation: the "Updates" column, or where that is empty in 2023 the "Status of further work" column, and in 2025 the "Commitment" column. The tables are PDFs that the publisher asks automated readers not to fetch, so the site cites the page that links them.
Site note: In the Executive's table of 19 February 2025, recommendations 2 and 4 share one "Commitment" cell, so the same words are recorded on both.
Department of Finance says in progress (14 March 2024)
Making a Difference highlights modelling extreme circumstances (p.17); unexpected negative consequences (p.19); and communicating risks clearly and realistically to senior management (p.21). Making a Difference was published 1 February. The RHI recommendations were referenced in the launch presentation to 900+ policy officials.
From: Implementation of the Recommendations of the RHI Inquiry (publication page for three documents)
Site note: This page publishes three monitoring tables: the Department of Finance's of 1 September 2023 and 14 March 2024, and the Executive's table of 19 February 2025 of commitments on the remaining recommendations. None of the three lists every recommendation. The row carries the table's own cell for this recommendation: the "Updates" column, or where that is empty in 2023 the "Status of further work" column, and in 2025 the "Commitment" column. The tables are PDFs that the publisher asks automated readers not to fetch, so the site cites the page that links them.
Site note: In the Executive's table of 19 February 2025, recommendations 2 and 4 share one "Commitment" cell, so the same words are recorded on both.
Earlier statement on delivery (1)
Department of Finance (1 September 2023)
Making a Difference highlights modelling extreme circumstances (p.17); unexpected negative consequences (p.19); and communicating risks clearly and realistically to senior management (p.21). Making a Difference was published 1 February. The RHI recommendations were referenced in the launch presentation to 900+ policy officials.
From: Implementation of the Recommendations of the RHI Inquiry (publication page for three documents)
Site note: This page publishes three monitoring tables: the Department of Finance's of 1 September 2023 and 14 March 2024, and the Executive's table of 19 February 2025 of commitments on the remaining recommendations. None of the three lists every recommendation. The row carries the table's own cell for this recommendation: the "Updates" column, or where that is empty in 2023 the "Status of further work" column, and in 2025 the "Commitment" column. The tables are PDFs that the publisher asks automated readers not to fetch, so the site cites the page that links them.
Site note: In the Executive's table of 19 February 2025, recommendations 2 and 4 share one "Commitment" cell, so the same words are recorded on both.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
NI Audit Office (15 October 2024)
The recommendation as a whole is likely to be fully implemented based on the planned action.
This sub-recommendation within Recommendation 2: Implemented.
Site note: This is the Northern Ireland Audit Office's assessment, from Appendix 4 of its second report on the Inquiry's recommendations (15 October 2024), the column "2024 NIAO Assessment". The Audit Office monitors implementation at the Inquiry's request; its assessment is shown beside the Executive's own account and does not set the recommendation's status.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Northern Ireland Executive
Response, delivery statement - Department of Finance
Delivery statement - NI Audit Office
Finding