18/01/2017 BBC Newsline

Good evening and welcome to BBC Newsline.

advisor is stepping aside from any future involvement in the flawed

renewable heating scheme after failing to declare

John Robinson's father in law receives payment from the RHI

Our Political Correspondent Enda McClafferty has the latest.

Charles Robinson is a key member of the DUP backroom team. First as

director of communications, and the advisers of the economy minister.

The former minister Jonathan Bale accused him of interfering in the

RNA scheme. He said he had no link whatsoever to the scheme. He was

questioned by the press Association, that his father is nor as a

recipient of the scheme. The DUP declared that John Robertson failed

to declare that. He said he regretted this situation has

developed, whereby there is a perception of conflict. It is

because of that that he's stand by. The

A senior civil servant says he believes a former special adviser

to Arlene Foster exerted influence in relation to the RHI scheme.

Dr Andrew McCormick told Stormont's public accounts committee

that he understood the adviser had influenced a decision

Naming the advisor as Andrew Crawford, he also told the committee

that he had no direct evidence of this.

Dr McCormick, a departmental Permanent Secretary,

also said that leaked insider information may have had

a significant impact on the ?490m overspend.

Our Agriculture Correspondent, Conor Macauley, watched

he acknowledged it himself. There was

huge interest. There is more interest in this session than

September. He is the senior civil servant in the Department of economy

charged with clearing up the R.N. I mess. He said one of the special

advisers were putting pressure on the scheme to remain open, even as

accusations are flooding in, and there was pressure to shouted down.

There was suggestions that the date originally suggested should be

extended. We were going through the discussions in the summer of 2015. I

was never clear exactly who was involved, the person we were dealing

with was in the DTI, Timothy Cairns. He was making it

clear it was not his idea. That led to an obvious question from the

public accounts committee. Whose idea was it? The understanding I

expressed to minister Hamilton, and his adviser in recent times, Mike

understanding was that Andrew Crawford had been exerting that

influence. He was at pains to say he had no direct evidence of that

pressure. In the summer 2015, Andrew Foster was Arlene Foster's man

injured apartment. At one point in the proceedings Arlene Foster's name

came up. Having considered the material, have you seen any evidence

of wrongdoing by the First Minister, the former First Minister? No.

Absolutely none. Mr MacCormack was only getting started in a session

where he was confirming he was permitted to speak freely. He said

there was a perfect storm of circumstances leading to the

overspend. The failure of understanding of the lucrative

subsidy. The industry did understand. 50, two 100 installers

or individuals were spreading the word. Then this bombshell. Around

the period July, there is evidence of some premature information being

made available to the industry. Some documents appeared with me after

Christmas, this needs further investigation, I would prefer to say

not too much about this, not to prejudice the investigation. It is

quite serious. There was potential for the tariff to be reduced. The

message went within the sector, get in quick. Suggestions it has come

from within your department? Yes. It suggests there was some information

being shared prematurely with the industry from departmental

officials. Further revelations about the contact with police on

allegations of abuse. And Jonathan Bale may have been recorded without

his knowledge or consent. It seems the drip feed of revelations about

the scheme has finally turned into a torrent.

In a statement issued earlier, Andrew Crawford confirmed that

during the summer of 2015 he had spoken to his fellow special

adviser in the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment

He said he would have been offering informal advice

and assistance to a colleague - and was not speaking

on behalf of the then Finance Minister Arlene Foster.

He repeated that he had not sought to keep the scheme open

against the wishes of the DETI minister Jonathan Bell -

and had advised that changes to the tariff take effect

The police say a viable device has been found during a security

in the Fairmount Park area were evacuated during the incident

but residents have since been allowed to return home.

The device has been taken away for further examination.

The Unite trade union says about half of the workers have been

made redundant at the troubled Shivo factory in Londonderry.

The aerospace engineering firm went into administration a fortnight ago.

staff are employed at the engineering plant. They arrive to be

told the news they feared. Around 30 people were made redundant

yesterday, more bad news followed today for other employees. Happy I

got this far. I got my life at this place. Finished now, not too

bothered. Disheartened for the younger workers. Yes, my son was

working here, made redundant yesterday. Two people in one house.

They make parts for the aircraft industry, the plant was bought about

18 months ago, they had initial plans for expansion. The

administrator was called in two weeks ago after the companies said

they could not turn the business around. Business leaders have called

the news is devastating, another massive blow to manufacturing in the

Northwest. Armagh beat county down by two

points. Now here's Angie Philips

with the weather forecast. Fairly quite unsettled at the

moment. Going to stay that way into the region. High-pressure giving us

a lot of dry weather. Road spells, generally a lot of cloud, it will

become a little cooler as well. Mild night to come, overcast skies. Some

list and hill fog squeezing out the odd spot of drizzle. Dry, with lows

of 6-7 . Tomorrow, quite a lot of cloud. A lot of dry weather as well.

The odd spot of drizzle over the hills thirsting in the morning.

Other than that, driving slowly. Elsewhere across the country, a fair

amount of cloud, misty at murky conditions across central parts.

Drizzly rain, a breeze across the northern Scotland. Their sunshine

for the north-east of Scotland and the South of England. A chilly day

after a frosty start again. Brightening up towards the west of

Ireland as we head through the day. Later in the afternoon, the odd

bright spell developing in parts of the West, parts of County Fermanagh.

Certainly not guarantee. Average temperatures of 8-9 . High-pressure

is in charge heading towards the weekend. Trading fair enough the

continent, they're in mind, that is pretty cold. Looking at the really

cold air, temperatures coming down. The odd bright spell, Friday the

brightest day. Flaherty, mainly dry.