Recommendation RHI-38: Assembly Committee Scrutiny
From The Report of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme, published 13 March 2020.
Recommendation
The Northern Ireland Assembly should consider what steps are needed to strengthen its scrutiny role, particularly as conducted by Assembly Committees, in the light of lessons from the RHI. While it will be for the Assembly itself to decide, the Inquiry recommends that such a consideration might include significantly increasing the resources available to statutory committees and, generally, identifying what steps are needed to improve the effective scrutiny of Departments and their initiatives, whether in Assembly Committees or in the Assembly Chamber itself.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked the Northern Ireland Assembly to strengthen its committee scrutiny role. In March 2022, the Chairpersons' Liaison Group stated that its review addressed statutory committee scrutiny of primary and subordinate legislation, while scrutiny in the Assembly Chamber itself is not mentioned in the sources (Northern Ireland Assembly, Chairpersons' Liaison Group response, Mar 2022; Northern Ireland Audit Office, Oct 2024). In October 2024, the Northern Ireland Audit Office found that work continued across Assembly bodies on 33 recommendations and officials were identifying additional resources to improve scrutiny of statutory rules and post-legislative scrutiny (Northern Ireland Audit Office, Oct 2024). It reported that the group planned to review progress against all recommendations at an update meeting scheduled for autumn 2024 (Northern Ireland Audit Office, Oct 2024).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The Chairpersons’ Liaison Group (CLG) agreed to review committee scrutiny with a view to identifying how the recommendations of the RHI report could be implemented to strengthen the scrutiny role carried out by committees, particularly in relation to the scrutiny of primary and subordinate legislation by statutory committees.
4. The review has identified a number of areas and made a number of corresponding recommendations which it believes will enhance the scrutiny process and help to ensure high quality robust legislation is produced.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: These are the words of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Chairpersons' Liaison Group, the chairpersons of the Assembly's committees, in its Report on Strengthening Committee Scrutiny (executive summary, paragraphs 3 and 4). The report states no position of acceptance or rejection, so the site records the response as noted. Neither the report nor its page prints a date; the site dates it 21 March 2022, the date its PDF was created. The Executive's response says that recommendation 38 is for the Assembly and does not answer it.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from NI Assembly has been found in the sources searched (last checked 31 January 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
NI Audit Office (15 October 2024)
The Chairpersons’ Liaison Group, comprising the Chairpersons of all Statutory and Standing Committees within the Assembly, published its Report on Strengthening Committee Scrutiny in March 2022. The report contained 33 recommendations aimed at strengthening the scrutiny of primary and delegated legislation, and establishing the need for pre/post-legislative scrutiny. Following the resumption of Assembly business in February 2024, work on these recommendations continues to be taken forward by Assembly Officials, the Assembly Commission and/or specific Assembly Committees, as appropriate. As an example, Assembly Officials are currently undertaking work to identify the additional resources required to give effect to proposals in relation to recommendations around the improved scrutiny of Statutory Rules, and the implementation of post-legislative scrutiny. The Chairpersons’ Liaison Group will continue to review progress against all recommendations, and an update meeting has been scheduled for Autumn 2024.
Site note: The Northern Ireland Audit Office's second report (15 October 2024), paragraph 1.10. Recommendation 38 is addressed to the Assembly, and the Audit Office reports its progress for information only: the report says formal assessment of that work is outside its scope (paragraph 1.11). The Audit Office does not set the recommendation's status.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- NI Assembly
Response - NI Audit Office
Finding