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<p>The Department for the Economy (DfE) delivers the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme
in Northern Ireland. The £1.3bn figure was the DfE estimate assuming a scenario of
the original 2012 tariffs remaining unchanged. It is of course now no longer relevant
as these tariffs no longer apply.</p><p> </p><p>On the combining of Rates and RHI
into one Bill; Parliamentary Counsel advised last year that this was an appropriate
pairing for these measures. Given the current pressures on Parliamentary time, and
the limit on available legislative slots, we adopted exactly the same approach this
year.</p><p> </p><p>I welcome the commitment made by the Department for the Economy
to appoint an independent chair to examine the cases of individuals who received funds
from the RHI initiative and believe they have experienced hardship. The appointment
of the Chair is a matter for that Department, but we will continue to work closely
with DfE on this important matter.</p>
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