:00:00. > :00:08.An organisation representing 100 renewable heating businesses say
:00:09. > :00:11.a plan to cut costs associated with the RHI scheme at Stormont
:00:12. > :00:17.The Renewable Heat Association for Northern Ireland is also
:00:18. > :00:25.The Economy Minister Simon Hamilton has produced amended legislation
:00:26. > :00:30.which would reduce tariffs paid to about 1800 people
:00:31. > :00:35.who got into the RHI scheme before November 2015.
:00:36. > :00:38.Mr Hamilton's plan requires a vote by MLA's in the Assembly on Monday.
:00:39. > :00:41.But there is an acceptance that any move to reduce tariffs
:00:42. > :00:49.And an organisation which represents businesses
:00:50. > :00:53.who signed up to the scheme is promising just that.
:00:54. > :00:56.It will tomorrow send out a letter to all 108 MLAs
:00:57. > :01:10.We want a reasonable solution to this as soon as possible. We want to
:01:11. > :01:15.see audits and technical audits, business audits. If anybody feels
:01:16. > :01:19.those audits and is found to be acting fraudulently, throw them out
:01:20. > :01:20.of the scheme and prosecute them but don't the people who are operating
:01:21. > :01:21.the scheme properly. But an expert in contract law
:01:22. > :01:31.says amendments passed There would be no difficulty at all
:01:32. > :01:37.if they could prove that people were extracting payments from the
:01:38. > :01:43.Department for trade and investment without actually complying with the
:01:44. > :01:49.scheme. No difficulty about that. It is where the Assembly tries to take
:01:50. > :01:55.away people's vested rights that they have a problem. They can do so,
:01:56. > :01:58.provided they act proportionately. The DUP have been asked for a
:01:59. > :02:00.statement but have declined to comment.
:02:01. > :02:03.So far the legislation hasn't yet been approved by the Sinn Fein
:02:04. > :02:04.Finance Minister Mairtin O Muilleoir.
:02:05. > :02:06.It's understood officials in his department are assessing
:02:07. > :02:13.Questions are being asked about a Stormont grant scheme
:02:14. > :02:17.Communities Minister Paul Givan announced last year that ?500,000
:02:18. > :02:21.Yesterday Mr Givan revealed that nearly two million
:02:22. > :02:28.Pictured outside an Orange hall last October, the ministerial seal
:02:29. > :02:31.of approval for funding improvements to community halls.
:02:32. > :02:35.?500,000 was to be used to improve halls that were in disrepair or had
:02:36. > :02:39.been damaged in attacks or anti-social behaviour.
:02:40. > :02:41.In a news release issued on Friday, the money allocated
:02:42. > :03:00.One orange whole set to benefit to the tune of ?24,000 is this one just
:03:01. > :03:03.outside Ballyclare. We have been in touch with deputy district Master
:03:04. > :03:07.William strange and he says it is not just a bit of a whole but also
:03:08. > :03:11.the local community. That ?24,000 will be spent on a new kitchen,
:03:12. > :03:13.heating system, installation and new toilet facilities.
:03:14. > :03:14.Questions are being asked about who else is set
:03:15. > :03:19.The Irish News reports that a full list of successful applications
:03:20. > :03:24.has not been released to them, despite requests.
:03:25. > :03:32.It started out as ?500,000 and has now turned into ?2 million. I think
:03:33. > :03:36.that feeds into the narrative that the DUP on one hand seemed to be
:03:37. > :03:41.only interested in governing for one half of the community and on the
:03:42. > :03:46.other hand the myth of them being the guardians of the public purse
:03:47. > :03:48.has just been exploded between this and RHI and many other things.
:03:49. > :03:50.At Christmas the Communities Minister Paul Givan cut funds
:03:51. > :03:52.to a scheme offering Irish language scholarships to young people.
:03:53. > :03:55.Last week he overturned that decision, claiming the original
:03:56. > :04:01.A man from Liverpool has appeared in court charged in connection
:04:02. > :04:06.with the discovery of ?300,000 of herbal cannabis in Ballymena.
:04:07. > :04:09.The drugs were found in a lorry on the Moorfields Road last year.
:04:10. > :04:12.A detective told Ballymena Court she believed James Kennedy was part
:04:13. > :04:16.of a gang which was bringing drugs into Northern Ireland
:04:17. > :04:23.The West Belfast Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan has called for threats
:04:24. > :04:27.to be lifted against a member of the family of a couple
:04:28. > :04:33.It's believed the man and woman were shot in the legs
:04:34. > :04:35.in their Turf Lodge home as they were attempting
:04:36. > :04:40.Mr Sheehan said it piled insult on top of injury for those
:04:41. > :04:46.On to the wintry weather outlook for the rest
:04:47. > :04:53.Good news for those who don't like the snow and ice,
:04:54. > :05:00.There will be a thought of snow in milder this weekend.
:05:01. > :05:05.There will be a thought of snow in many levels. A lot of the snowmen
:05:06. > :05:09.down as well. Milder by morning but it will be quite grey and damp on
:05:10. > :05:13.Sunday. Some dry weather initially tonight before the cloud thickens to
:05:14. > :05:16.bring outbreaks of rain and drizzle. The breeze picking up. Temperatures
:05:17. > :05:20.probably at their lowest this side of midnight because tomorrow will be
:05:21. > :05:24.much milder. Temperatures in double figures but also rather grey and
:05:25. > :05:28.dumb. You might need the waterproofs. A few dry gaps tomorrow
:05:29. > :05:33.morning I'm particularly over Belfast and the south-east. Lots of
:05:34. > :05:39.around. Some dry weather further south. The cold and icy weather
:05:40. > :05:42.lingers for a while over central and eastern parts of Britain with the
:05:43. > :05:46.done snow in places for this mild and damp weather presenter and the
:05:47. > :05:53.West. With dead bodies of cloud. Some mist and low cloud over the
:05:54. > :05:57.hills which will make it look. With time we should seek rain easing off.
:05:58. > :06:01.It will dry up next week is a new area of high pressure builds. It
:06:02. > :06:10.originates from Eastern Europe which means that eventually we will see
:06:11. > :06:15.colder air. It will take a while. Prior next week. Probably a lot of
:06:16. > :06:18.cloud around. Initially quite mild but as the week goes on it will get
:06:19. > :06:25.a bit chilly again. Have a great weekend. We will be back tomorrow
:06:26. > :06:30.evening at 6:20pm. You can keep up-to-date with local news on Radio
:06:31. > :06:33.Ulster or online. From all of us here enjoy the evening.