RHI Inquiry Chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin
The Foyle MP said that the report, which reveals systemic failures in advice from officials to Ministers, in the conduct of Special Advisers and in the actions taken by Ministers, must drive immediate change.
Mr Eastwood said that the Northern Ireland Civil Service is also in need of immediate reform to ensure that staffing levels are appropriate, that sufficient expertise is available, that advice to Ministers is fulsome and that detailed minutes of engagement with Ministers are prepared.
Mr Eastwood said: “The systemic mismanagement of the RHI scheme was the biggest financial scandal in the history of devolution.
“The subsequent attempts to frustrate scrutiny of the scheme and the failure to candidly admit what had gone wrong immediately were disastrous errors of political judgment.
“The finding in the report that the ETI committee was unable to discharge its scrutiny function is particularly concerning.
“This has contributed in a significant way to a collapse in public confidence in these institutions and in politicians.
“I have said previously that the last Executive was the most secretive in the history of devolved government.
“This Inquiry Report presents an urgent case for immediate reform of the processes of government.
“The recommendations that Patrick Coughlin has made today must be the basis of a new approach to government and a new approach by government to the public.
“It is a matter of profound regret that so many resisted the calls for a public inquiry for so long.
“Options were placed on the table in 2017 that would have allowed us to deal with this crisis effectively, efficiently and in a way that secured public confidence.
“Instead we have wasted three years during which time public services have been degraded to breaking point.
“There is a political lesson that needs to be learned here too.
“There is clearly a need for reform of Civil Service processes.
“The report clearly identifies issues with staffing levels, specialist expertise in NICS, the need for fulsome advice to Ministers and a basic requirement for minutes of meetings to be prepared.
“The recommendations relating to Special Advisers are particularly important.
“The conduct of a number of SpAds in the previous administration was, in my view, uncontrolled and led to unacceptable behaviour which made a bad situation worse. That can never be allowed to happen again.
“The SDLP will take part in the reform process outlined in the New Decade, New Approach document.
“This process must be accelerated to secure public confidence in government and in politics.
“RHI is a bleak page in the history of devolution.
“It’s our job now to ensure it isn’t repeated,” added the Foyle MP.
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