Foster’s adviser sent RHI cost control plans to cousin

Arlene Foster’s former special adviser sent a draft official document on planned Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) cost controls to his cousin.

Dr Andrew Crawford must have forwarded the message so his relative knew subsidies for the boilers he had or was installing were to be reduced, a lawyer for a public inquiry at Stormont said.

The former senior Democratic Unionist apologised and said he did so to provide reassurance to his cousin Richard Crawford in July 2015.

The botched green energy scheme was established to encourage businesses to switch to more sustainable fuel sources but ended up running significantly over-budget and paying out much more than it cost to run the boilers.

Inquiry chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin said: “I think we have a fairly clear picture of what happened.

“Your motivation was that there was already information out there, there cannot really be much wrong sending a draft Government submission that has not reached the minister yet.”

The witness responded: “I apologise for that.”

Close relatives of the DUP leader’s former special adviser had 11 boilers, Sir Patrick noted.

Dr Crawford resigned following RHI inquiry revelations.

He said his brother James and two cousins who lived within 10 miles of him installed wood fuel burners to heat chicken houses used to supply meat to producer Moy Park.

The witness denied any efforts to delay the imposition of cost controls on the massively over-spending scheme in 2015 as civil servants wanted to take action and he said the DUP wanted to “pin the blame” on him.

His evidence conflicts with that given by another former DUP special adviser to the public inquiry established to probe the matter.

Lawyer to the inquiry, Joseph Aiken, quizzed Dr Crawford about his reason for forwarding the email outlining draft cost controls to his cousin from his personal email account and suggested he may have told his brother verbally about the impending change.

Mr Aiken added: “It was telling your cousin, it won’t affect the three (boilers) you got or the three you are getting as long as you get your next three in before the change date.”

Dr Crawford also acknowledged forwarding the email to another DUP special adviser, Timothy Johnston, who is now the party’s chief executive, to “keep this on your radar” and surrounding the high-level politics of the submission.

Dr Crawford said he had purchased a “smallholding” which was completed in 2014.

This meant he owned fields adjoining a poultry unit established by his brother James Crawford, which was in the RHI scheme.

Dr Crawford said: “There was no financial link between myself and my brother in any way.”

James Crawford was given a quotation from a boiler installer outlining the potential for his initial financial outlay to be paid off within three years using lucrative official subsidies, leaving 17 years of profit, Mr Aiken told the inquiry.

The judge asked the witness: “They never said, ‘Is it worthwhile me putting in these boilers in the scheme’?”

He wondered: “Would any of these close relations of yours with farms within a close geographical area never have said to you, ‘I know you are working on this – it seems to be awfully profitable’?”

Dr Crawford said he had never discussed the finances.

He still associates with members of the DUP despite having left his job following revelations about his role in the RHI.

He said: “In my mind I was blamed unfairly.”

He added: “I believe there was work going on behind the scenes to possibly pin the blame on me if possible.”