As an investigation continues into a scandal involving a failed incentive plan to encourage homeowners in Northern Ireland to adopt renewable energy, an internal auditor is taking a measure of responsibility. Elaine Dolan, former senior auditor of Northern Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Investment (DETI), which administered the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) plan, said during a Parliamentary investigatory hearing that, “The buck stops with me!”
The RHI scandal, also referred to as the Cash for Ash scandal, is a political scandal in Northern Ireland that centers on a failed renewable energy incentive scheme that has been reported to potentially cost taxpayers almost £500 million ($678 million). The plan failed to introduce proper cost controls, allowing expenses to spiral out of control. The scheme worked by paying applicants to use renewable energy, but the rate paid was more than the cost of the fuel, and many applicants were making profits simply by heating their properties.
The DETI internal audit department, which Dolan headed at the time, is in hot water for missing evidence that would have uncovered problems and abuses at the plan much sooner. While Dolan explained that parts of the plan’s audit, which failed to uncover governance issues in the agency, were outsourced to a third party, she and her team were ultimately responsible for the quality of the audit.
Member of Parliament Dame Una O’Brien thanked Dolan for accepting responsibility for failures of the audit process. She said Dolan’s frank acknowledgement was an example of words heard “too infrequently so far in this inquiry.” “I appreciate that it takes a lot given the nature of your work for you to have come and said that and thank you for being so frank with the inquiry.”