Attorney Challenge makes dramatic intervention over RHI scheme

As a group of boiler owners cleared the first stage in their High Court battle to ensure payments for the next 20 years, Attorney General John Larkin QC made his own dramatic intervention.

He told a judge that he is reflecting on whether to bring litigation against the Department of the Economy over a failure to put the non-domestic scheme before the full Executive before it was introduced in 2012.

Were he to pursue a case and ultimately succeed, it could result in the RHI programme being declared unlawful.

Mr Justice Deeny put it to him that he was contemplating a potential challenge to the regulations of an administration where he serves as Attorney General.

But Mr Larkin replied: “My primary responsibility is as guardian of the rule of law.

“If it’s an issue about public money and a claim being made against the government founded on the 2012 regulations I may be the only person able to put a hand up.”

The development came as more than 500 members of the Renewable Heat Association NI Ltd were granted leave to seek a judicial review of Economy Minister Simon Hamilton’s plan to cut tariff payments.

The botched scheme was set up to encourage businesses and other non-domestic users to move from using fossil fuels to renewable heating systems.

But it has been surrounded by relentless controversy since it emerged that users could legitimately earn more cash the more fuel they burned - potentially costing the public purse up to £490m.

Last month Mr Hamilton set out revised 2017 Renewable Heat Incentive Regulations in a bid to in a bid to cut costs and ease the financial burden.

Lawyers for the Association are set to claim this was an illegal step against boiler owners with 20 year contracts.

Part of their case is that 2017 regulations are rendered unlawful because they were not discussed and agreed on by the Executive.

Mr Larkin will definitely now feature in that case after an issue of devolution was raised.

“The 2012 regulations never came before he Executive to be discussed and agreed,” he told the court.

“So the point that is made against the 2017 regulations it seems to me can equally be made against the 2012 regulations.”

Proceedings have been brought by the Association and a boiler owner granted anonymity in a separate action against Mr Hamilton’s plans to publish the identities of those on the scheme.

According to the Attorney General there remains an issue of candour about that unnamed operator.

“We have got a good deal of information about the bank debts of the second applicant, but nothing so far as I can see about his income, far less his profit,” he added.

“That relates both to the period he became a member of this scheme and is income and profit as a result of this scheme.”

Tony McGleenan QC, for the Department, said it was accepted that the Association’s legal challenge raised issues of substance to be considered.

On that basis, and a push to have cost control measures in place by April, leave to seek a judicial review was not opposed.

Mr Justice Deeny agreed to list the case for a full, two-day hearing next month.

Any confirmed separate challenge by the Attorney General will also be heard at that stage.