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Public Inquiry

Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry

Completed · Chair: Sir Patrick Coghlin · Established June 2017 · Commissioned by Northern Ireland Executive

Northern Ireland inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal which led to collapse of power-sharing.

More about this inquiry

Northern Ireland inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal which led to collapse of power-sharing. The flawed scheme cost the public purse nearly £500 million.

Inquiry website ↗

Where it stands

Public hearings were held on 114 days between November 2017 and December 2018.

The inquiry has published 3 reports, most recently Report of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme on 13 March 2020.

The most recent government response on the record is Northern Ireland Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme: Assessing progress with the implementation of the Public Inquiry recommendations (PDF cover: "... Progressing implementation of the Public Inquiry recommendations"), dated 22 March 2022.

Government response (45 recommendations)

Delivery (the addressees’ latest statements)

  • Northern Ireland Executive says in progress 16
  • No statement from Northern Ireland Executive found in the sources searched 12
  • Department of Finance says in progress 9
  • No statement from Department of Finance found in the sources searched 4
  • Department of Finance states no delivery position 2
  • No statement from NI Assembly found in the sources searched 1
  • NI Audit Office says completed 1

Record checked against the sources 31 January 2026. Latest activity 19 February 2025.

Latest on the recommendations

All 45 recommendations

Reports

Reports and timeline

Recent milestones

  • Report Published13 March 2020
  • Closing submissions completed14 December 2018
  • Public evidence sessions ended26 October 2018
Full timeline

Costs

£7,360,000

Reported cost Costs in detail

Parliament

1

mention in Parliament Parliamentary activity

Recommendations

1 shown (filtered)
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RHI-43: Independent Compliance Assessment

Accepted in part · No statement from Northern Ireland Executive found

Recommended

In addition, the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly ought, in the Inquiry's view, to give due consideration to an independent mechanism to assess compliance with codes of conduct in public life as they apply to Ministers and Special Advisers. Whatever route is chosen, there must in future also be a focus on keeping standards of conduct clear, consistent, up-to-date and reflective of good practice. How this is done will be a matter for debate, but the principles of independence, transparency and periodic reporting to the people of Northern Ireland must be at the core.

Since then (summary written by this site)

The Inquiry recommended independent assessment of compliance with ministerial and special adviser conduct codes. In October 2021, the Northern Ireland Executive accepted the recommendation with the exception of considering an independent mechanism to assess special advisers' compliance (Northern Ireland Executive response, Oct 2021). It stated that revised codes of conduct and ministerial enforcement arrangements had been introduced, while delivering induction programmes and publishing civil servants' interests required further work (Northern Ireland Executive response, Oct 2021). The Northern Ireland Audit Office found in October 2024 that the recommendation had been implemented (Northern Ireland Audit Office, Oct 2024).

Addressed to Northern Ireland Executive · Full record

Reports and timeline

Reports

Report of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Volume 1 — Chapters 1–19 · 13 March 2020 · PDF
RHI Inquiry Report — Volume 2: Chapters 20–41 Volume 2 — Chapters 20–41 · 13 March 2020 · PDF Original edition: Volume 2 — Chapters 20–41 Volume 2 — Chapters 20–41 · Open current edition · Search this held text on InquiryTracker
The Report of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme Volume 3 — Chapters 42–56 & Appendices · 13 March 2020 · 45 recommendations · PDF

Timeline

Inquiry Established

First preliminary hearing

Source

Inquiry Established

Public Hearings Begin

Oral evidence hearings began on 7 November 2017.

Public evidence sessions ended

Source

Closing submissions completed

Source

Report Published

Parliamentary activity

1 mention since Jun 2020
1 question

Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry: Northern Ireland

Written Question House of Commons Ian Paisley · Democratic Unionist Party

Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding in the report of the Renewable Heat Incentive public inquiry that RHI was a project too far for the Government of Northern …

Answered by Northern Ireland Office: The RHI Inquiry was commissioned by a Northern Ireland Minister and fundamentally concerns devolved issues. The Government does, however, expect to see rapid progress in implementing all of Sir Patrick’s recommendations, alongside continued implementation of the reforms in New Decade, New Approach , and is working closely with the First and deputy First Minister to ensure this is done.

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Evidence & impact

AI-generated · 26 Mar 2026
The Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry examined the design and operation of a flawed energy subsidy scheme in Northern Ireland that led to significant overspending of public funds. Sir Patrick Coghlin's report made 45 recommendations addressing policy development, governance, financial controls, professional skills, and the conduct of ministers and special advisers.

The Northern Ireland Executive accepted 43 of 45 recommendations in October 2021, accepting one in principle and rejecting one concerning an independent mechanism for assessing special adviser compliance. The Northern Ireland Audit Office has published two progress reports (June 2022 and October 2024) assessing implementation.

Substantial structural changes are documented in the public record. The Functioning of Government Act 2021 created a statutory framework for ministerial standards, while revised codes of conduct for ministers and special advisers were published in 2020-21. New policy guidance including 'Making a Difference' (2023) and Better Business Cases NI (2020) addressed policy development and business case processes. Financial controls were strengthened through updated Managing Public Money NI guidance (2023).

The NIAO's October 2024 assessment found 29 recommendations (64%) showing evidence of completion through specific actions, while 15 recommendations (33%) had no recent updates on progress. Six recommendations were assessed as unlikely to be fully addressed, with the Department of Finance maintaining that existing arrangements are sufficient or that monitoring would be disproportionate.

Key gaps identified by NIAO include the absence of regular record-keeping audits, no specific action to ensure ministers familiarise themselves with legislation they present, and no requirement in the Ministerial Code for ministers to actively question official advice. While training programmes and guidance have been developed across multiple areas, NIAO notes the need for evidence that new frameworks are being rigorously applied in practice.
Reforms attributed to this inquiry · AI-generated- Functioning of Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 established statutory framework for ministerial declarations of interest and empowered NI Assembly Commissioner for Standards to investigate ministerial code breaches
- Better Business Cases NI framework (November 2020) redesigned business case approval processes with strengthened value for money requirements
- Making a Difference policy guide (February 2023) launched to 900+ officials addressing policy development skills and resource assessment
- Revised Ministerial Code of Conduct and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers (January 2020, updated August 2021) with comprehensive provisions on conduct, conflicts of interest and record-keeping
- Raising a Concern Policy Framework established with 17 trained investigators through Government Internal Audit and Fraud Investigation Service (GIAFIS)
- Managing Public Money NI updated (November 2023) with strengthened financial controls and monitoring provisions
- Project Delivery Profession established within Northern Ireland Civil Service with accredited practitioner-level training
- Shared Leadership Board created between departments and arm's length bodies to improve cross-departmental collaboration
Unfinished business · AI-generated- Recommendation 28(2): No firm commitment to implement regular record-keeping audits - Department of Finance maintains existing arrangements are sufficient
- Recommendation 32a: No evidence departments have reviewed how governance systems work in practice or that staff actively understand and use them
- Recommendation 39: No specific action taken to ensure Ministers sufficiently read and familiarise themselves with legislation they present to Assembly
- Recommendation 9(2): No specific guidance or training developed on handling commercially sensitive information beyond relying on individual judgement
- Recommendation 13: Department of Finance maintains it would be 'disproportionate' to monitor whether departments engage external board members as recommended
- Recommendation 42(1-2): Ministerial Code does not include requirement for Ministers to take active role in questioning official advice

Key facts

Duration: 2 years, 9 months Total reported cost: £7.4m Witnesses: 63 Hearing days: 114 Documents disclosed: 1,200,000 Report pages: 656