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RHI-5

Ministerial Training and Support

RHI Inquiry · The Report of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme · Issued 13 March 2020 · Addressed to: Northern Ireland Executive

Government responseNorthern Ireland Executive: Accepted (Oct 2021)

DeliveryNorthern Ireland Executive says in progress (Feb 2025)The Executive Office says in progress (Oct 2024)Department of Finance says in progress (Mar 2024)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

One role of Ministers in a democratic system is to decide on policies and they can only do so effectively if they are prepared, in appropriate cases, to question and challenge material put to them in submissions and regulatory impact assessments. Ministers should be given training on their role in relation to policy, legislation and on the working of public expenditure and value for money. More should also be done to provide (a) comprehensive departmental induction and information, which should include frank disclosure of any specific difficulties and problems involved in a particular scheme or policy area; and (b) greater support in the form of a properly resourced Private Office.

RHI Inquiry, The Report of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme · 13 Mar 2020 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

The Inquiry called for ministerial training, departmental induction, and well-resourced private offices. In February 2025, the Northern Ireland Executive stated that Ministers committed to development and briefing opportunities, with departments providing guidance and The Executive Office coordinating central sessions and monitoring engagement to July 2025, describing ministerial training and departmental induction (Northern Ireland Executive, Feb 2025). In October 2024, the Northern Ireland Audit Office found that the recommendation was likely to be fully implemented based on planned action (Northern Ireland Audit Office, Oct 2024). That month, the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service reported that ministerial training remained optional, with further guidance prepared for ministerial consideration (Dr Jayne Brady, Oct 2024).

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026.

Government response

●Northern Ireland Executive · Accepted · 7 Oct 2021

Words of: Northern Ireland Executive, Executive Response to the RHI Inquiry Report Recommendations and Action Plan, Annex A, 7 October 2021

These recommendations can be accepted in full, with the exception of the consideration of an independent mechanism to assess special advisers’ compliance with the Code of Conduct.

They have been addressed through work to date, including:
• revisions to the Ministerial Code of Conduct, Code of Conduct for Special Advisers and NICS Code of Ethics, and the introduction of new Guidance for Ministers;
• the publication of new enforcement arrangements for ministerial standards of behaviour;
• agreement on the development of a multi-year outcomes-focussed Programme for Government, aligned with the Budget, including stakeholder engagement and consultation;
• departmental induction and briefing for Ministers on the return of the Executive, and Executive away-days;
• the strengthening of Private Offices including the higher grading of the Private Secretary and Assistant Private Secretary roles;
• identification of the team where matters of policy in respect of Special Advisers are to be dealt with.

Further work is required to:
• deliver induction programmes for Ministers and for special advisers;
• arrange for publication of relevant interests of civil servants.

Response document: Executive Response to the RHI Inquiry Report Recommendations and Action Plan: Annex A Summary of Recommendations and Response

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 "MINISTERS AND SPECIAL ADVISERS": recommendations 5, 6, 7, 25, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43. It is the Executive's response to the group, not to this recommendation alone.

Delivery

●Northern Ireland Executive says in progress · 19 Feb 2025

Ministers commit to engaging with all available development and briefing opportunities, as circumstances allow.

All Departments will provide relevant guidance and briefing TEO will coordinate centrally-provided information sessions TEO will collate monitoring of engagement to July 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.

●The Executive Office says in progress · 23 Oct 2024

David can perhaps come in on some of this. We have provided substantive training and induction. In fact, one of the first things that we did for Ministers was brief them on the civil contingencies aspect and the need for awareness of those areas. Further advice has been prepared to go to Ministers for consideration. That is guidance for them and their offices that reflects some of those areas. It will be for Ministers to decide on that provision. Some of the areas that were identified in the Audit Office report were for Ministers and special advisers. We have provided training material. The Audit Office report references that nine of 11 special advisers have taken up that training. At the moment, it is optional. Of course, it is not for me to mandate what Ministers and their officials do. The Audit Office does not want that to be optional; it wants it to be mandatory. Again, we provide advice, but, rightly, it is for Ministers to conclude on all those decisions. David, is there —?

From: Official Report (Hansard), Minutes of Evidence: Committee for Finance, 23 October 2024 (Interim Public-sector Transformation Board: Executive Office; Department of Finance)

Site note: Dr Jayne Brady, Head of the Civil Service, giving evidence to the Assembly's Committee for Finance on 23 October 2024, from the Official Report. Where her words do not name the recommendation, the member's question they answer does.

●Department of Finance says in progress · 14 Mar 2024

On taking up office Ministers were provided with relevant documentation and received face to face briefings from their Departmental officials.

Ministers are expected to engage with all relevant guidance and officials stand ready to provide additional briefing should Ministers require it.

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.

Earlier statements on delivery (0)

●Department of Finance · 1 Sep 2023

Officials are working on the offering to Ministers in the context of preparing for the possible formation of an Executive.

It is proposed that induction sessions and information sessions be delivered both centrally and at departmental level, depending on the subject matter. There may also be scope to deliver some sessions to Ministerial/Spad teams.

The scope of the material required will vary depending on the experience of the individual Ministers, but will include common elements such as:
• Budget (DOF)
• PFG/’missions’ (TEO)
• Ministerial Code (TEO)
• Operation of Executive (TEO)
• Ministers and the media (EIS)
• Judicial Review (DSO)
• The legislative process (OLC) Officials will be engaging with parties entitled to form an Executive to ascertain the preferred method of delivery of such sessions.

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.

What other bodies have found

In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.

●NI Audit Office · 15 Oct 2024

The recommendation as a whole is likely to be fully implemented based on the planned action.

Full implementation of all elements of this recommendation should equip Ministers with the necessary skills to fulfil their public role.

From: Northern Ireland Non-Domestic RHI Scheme: Progressing implementation of the Public Inquiry recommendations - 2nd Report (Appendix 4)

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.

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.