RHI claimant names made public

The Department for the Economy published on Wednesday of this week a list of individuals that received over £5,000 in payment from the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) up to the end of February 2017.

The list includes the name of the owner of each boiler, date of installation, postcode district of the business, boiler size and type and the amount of payment received up to 28 February.

“The sole reason for publishing this list has been in the interests of transparency. Inclusion in the list does not, in any way, imply wrongdoing by any of the beneficiaries,” the Department for Economy has said.

There are also 48 boiler installations that have had the names of owners and their postcode districts withheld. These are RHI claimants that successfully raised objections with the department about their names being released into the public domain.

A department spokesperson said that officials are considering publishing updated versions of the list on a six-monthly or yearly basis.

Last week, a court in Belfast heard details from an unpublished audit report by consultancy firm PWC which stated that poultry and mushroom farmers did not misuse the RHI scheme.

“Farmers were deemed guilty until proved innocent – and that is exactly what this report has done,” commented Ulster Farmers’ Union chief executive Wesley Aston.

Agri food employers unable to recruit required staff

A survey of companies in the agri food sector in NI has shown that 47% of employers are unable to recruit staff with the required level of skills.

The six-month consultation by the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) identified skills gaps, a lack of training and negative perceptions of working in agri food as issues for the industry.

The exercise also questioned school-leavers, with 56% of respondents stating they were unaware of the opportunities available within the sector.

A two-year programme has been launched to address the skills gap in the agri food sector and attract more young people into the industry.

Harvesting Tomorrow’s Skills is led by the NIFDA and funded by Invest NI to allow businesses to engage with schools, colleges, local councils and business support organisations.