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'Arlene Foster told me to keep the scheme open': Conflicting reports of NI energy scandal

“Hostile, fear, and abusive,” is how Jonathan Bell described a meeting with Foster.

Jonathan bell 2 BBC NI / Screenshot BBC NI / Screenshot / Screenshot

A FORMER NORTHERN Ireland Minister has claimed that First Minister Arlene Foster reacted hostilely to news that a government energy scheme was being abused, and refused to shut it down.

The scheme which was to promote the use of renewable energy in Northern Ireland was found to have serious flaws in half of installations inspected by the North’s Public Accounts Committee.

The idea was that businesses would be paid for the amount of renewable energy they used – but this prompted businesses to keep heating on all year round and to earn more money.

In a BBC Northern Ireland interview, Bell alleged that Foster knew about the scheme and staunchly defended the scheme.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary of my department asked me something that was highly unusual and only done once, in the five years I sat on the executive.
He asked to meet the minister as he’s entitled to do, to whistleblow on a one-to-one basis.

“[He said that] the purpose of me being here today and for you not having even your own special advisor with you, is Minister we have to advise you that without your knowledge, the special advisor of your department has been asked by the other special advisors to remove references to Arlene Foster, the First Minister, and to the department of Finance and Personnel.”

Arlene Foster Interview Niall Carson Niall Carson

When Arlene Foster was appointed the minister for the Northern Ireland department for finance in May 2015, Jonathan Bell succeeded her as the Minister for Energy Trade and Investment.

I was ordered to appear in front of the First Minister. In the strongest terms possible, both in volume and force, Arlene Foster overruled me and told me to keep the scheme open.

“Hostile, fear, and abusive,” is how Bell described the meeting with Foster.

When asked “abusive in what way,” he answered ”She walked in and shouted at me that I would keep this scheme open.”

Arlene Foster denies any involvement keeping the flaws of the scheme hidden, and told Irish News in a video interview that she had actually reported the flaws to the relevant people once she was made aware.

Although she regrets the flaws in the scheme that lead to its abuse, she defended the idea of a renewable energy scheme.

It’s thought the scandal will cost Northern Ireland taxpayers £400 million.

Read: Pressure mounts on North’s First Minister to resign after energy scheme scandal

Read: ‘Come 2018 we’ll have the tax!’: Foster signals a soft warning to Irish government

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38 Comments
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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:47 AM

    A shortage!?! Lettuce pray!

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    Mute Niall O'Reilly
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:12 PM

    It’s ridiculous that Ireland can’t supply herself with salad and vegetables. The country has great land and weather for such produce. We should be easily self sufficient . We should be able to supply Europe too! The likes of Tesco Ireland should only sell home grown produce.

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    Mute Richard Paul
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:16 PM

    The weather is not right , 12 months of the year . We depend on Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere produce based on seasonality to supplement what we can produce.

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    Mute Brian MacCarthaigh
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:31 PM

    @Niall O’Reilly:Try growing lettuce during wintertime in Ireland.

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    Mute Colm Vambeck
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:42 PM

    @Brian MacCarthaigh: No problem, its growing in the Botanical gardens in Dublin outside right now. Even easier in a tunnel.

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    Mute The Viking
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:08 PM

    @Colm Vambeck:- Correct. There are a lot of farmers in North County Dublin / Meath areas that grow lettuce through out the year. Then Keelings by the Airport have Gigantic greenhouses that grow peppers, lettuces, berries and all other types of veg you would think wouldn’t be plausible to grow in Ireland. They actually have an excellent Farm Shop at their entrance on the St. Margerets Road. (Finglas to Swords )

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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:20 PM

    @The Viking:
    Price……
    There will always be a market for homegrown greenhouse vegetables and some people will pay a premium for them but the vast majority will buy the cheapest available.
    Best of luck to the Keeling’s in their shop by the way.

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    Mute Niall O'Reilly
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:02 PM

    Nonsense. We can grow everything in Ireland. You just need a greenhouse or a plastic tunnel. In Iceland they are self sufficient in tomatoes and cucumbers and my neighbor here in Brittany has 100 oranges on his orange tree in a climate often colder than Ireland!

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    Mute Niall O'Reilly
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:04 PM

    Have you heard of a green house.?No problem at all under glass.

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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:48 PM

    @Richard Paul: In a wee greenhouse (6 x 10) in the south of the country, we have all salad ingredients for our house all year around. We are still eating the spuds, carrots, parsnips and more from the wee veg plot. Hadn’t bought a spud in 5 years.

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    Mute Richard Paul
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 4:32 PM

    @ Paul Somers; Fair Play to you If it is practical for you to do that . But certain produce can not be grown in Ireland, in the quantities needed to satisfy the demand for them.

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    Mute Paul
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:55 AM

    Sorry who buys more than one in one go?!

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    Mute Jane Bresnan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:45 PM

    @Paul: People buying for a family.

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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:08 PM

    @Paul:
    Harvey the rabbit??

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    Mute Alan Cooke
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:20 PM

    @Paul:
    That new chain of shops, Chopped?
    Be interesting to see what they substitute lettuce with now.

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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:43 PM

    Restaurants, Pubs, Cafe’s
    A number of local establishments purchase salad ingredients in Aldi / Lidi as the cost is sometimes below ‘Musgrave’s’ price point.

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    Mute cryptoskitzo
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:44 PM

    This is a great day for salad dodgers

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    Mute WJH
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:44 PM

    Just have a bloody salad without lettuce. A salad with sausages and rashers and eggs and pudding. A salad with no salad.

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    Mute O Swetenham
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:53 AM

    Managed to buy some from a shady character on Moore street . Bit pricey though, €5 for a half dozen lettuce leaves and €7.50 for a reasonably sized courgette.

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    Mute James
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:58 PM

    I’d say the Kinahans and the Hutches are repurposing the grow houses as we speak ….

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    Mute Billy Big Ballz
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:46 AM

    RIP to all the poor slippy slugs

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    Mute Mahmoud O'Connell
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:49 AM

    lettuce spray…

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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:58 AM

    So busy giving out to super valu the farmers forgot about the poor oll lettuce

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    Mute david harold
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 3:22 PM

    I blame vegetarians for eating all our side salads for their main courses.

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    Mute watersedge
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:47 AM

    Went to Supervalue, Tesco’s and Aldi looking for courgettes. Lidl is the only place you can get them.

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    Mute Ruth Colbert
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 6:35 PM

    Swear to God, I was blaming bloody operation transformation !

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    Mute Concerned Citizen
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:14 PM

    Woa muah gawd, cannot cope, like whats a B.L.T. without the L. :(
    And I’m a vegan so no B either. :((

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    Mute Eye_c_u
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 3:07 PM

    Didn’t take long for someone to announce they were vegan did it

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    Mute Mahmoud O'Connell
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:48 AM

    Simply weather related.

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    Mute Red hurley
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 3:31 PM

    Do we not grow it here?

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    Mute Hugh Gallagher
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 3:19 PM

    Iceberg hopefully… its the marmite of lettii

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 4:23 PM

    @Hugh Gallagher: At least Jamie Oliver had the right idea with Iceburg lettuce…put them in a clay trap and blast them with No.7 shot. It’s a veg designed for supermarkets and catering due to lasting longer than most people who eat it.

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    Mute Gerard Doherty
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:36 PM
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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 5:40 PM

    Leaf it out will ye!

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    Mute Elaine
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    Feb 4th 2017, 2:03 AM

    Ah..sure I can see it now “garda raid grow house..”(surely it’s herbal and illegal) ..garda looks sad and says “nah tis only lettuce..feck it”

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    Mute Ryan Hardy
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 8:57 PM

    Nothing of nutritional value in lettuce anyway

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