£45k golden handshake piles pressure on DUP
Posted By: January 21, 2017
Brendan Hughes. Irish News. Saturday, 21, 2017
The DUP was under fresh pressure last night after it emerged a special adviser who resigned during the RHI scandal is in line for a taxpayer-funded ‘golden handshake’ of up to £45,000.
Andrew Crawford announced he was stepping down on Thursday after senior civil servant Andrew McCormick told a Stormont committee he understood that influence was exerted by him [Crawford] to keep the botched scheme running.
The special adviser had previously been accused by former enterprise minister Jonathan Bell of preventing him from closing the scheme.
Mr. Crawford, who was an adviser to Arlene Foster when she introduced the Renewable Heat Incentive as enterprise minister, has denied the claims and any wrongdoing.
The Irish News previously revealed that Mr. Crawford’s brother, a poultry farmer, is a claimant under the RHI scheme.
According to the special advisers’ code, ‘Spads’ are entitled to a severance package worth up to six months of their annual salary if they quit to stand for election or take part in a party’s election campaign.
In his resignation statement, Mr. Crawford said he intends to “campaign for the election of the strongest DUP representation in the next assembly.”
A DUP spokesman declined yesterday to say whether he would receive severance pay, while the Department of Agriculture – where he has been an adviser to DUP minister Michelle McIlveen – did not respond to requests for a comment.
In other developments yesterday:
* A renewable energy charity paid to process a quarter of Northern Ireland’s RHI applications said it would have been “ethically improper” to inform the government of flaws within the scheme.
* Eileen Paisley joined her son Ian in paying tribute to Martin McGuinness after the North Antrim MP offered “humble and honest” thanks to the former deputy first minister.
* Bookmakers were split last night on the likely successor to Mr. McGuinness as Sinn Féin’s leader in The North, with Michelle O’Neill and Conor Murphy the frontrunners.
The DUP was under fresh pressure last night after it emerged a special adviser who resigned during the RHI scandal is in line for a taxpayer-funded ‘golden handshake’ of up to £45,000.
Andrew Crawford announced he was stepping down on Thursday after senior civil servant Andrew McCormick told a Stormont committee he understood that influence was exerted by him [Crawford] to keep the botched scheme running.
The special adviser had previously been accused by former enterprise minister Jonathan Bell of preventing him from closing the scheme.
Mr. Crawford, who was an adviser to Arlene Foster when she introduced the Renewable Heat Incentive as enterprise minister, has denied the claims and any wrongdoing.
The Irish News previously revealed that Mr. Crawford’s brother, a poultry farmer, is a claimant under the RHI scheme.
According to the special advisers’ code, ‘Spads’ are entitled to a severance package worth up to six months of their annual salary if they quit to stand for election or take part in a party’s election campaign.
In his resignation statement, Mr. Crawford said he intends to “campaign for the election of the strongest DUP representation in the next assembly.”
A DUP spokesman declined yesterday to say whether he would receive severance pay, while the Department of Agriculture – where he has been an adviser to DUP minister Michelle McIlveen – did not respond to requests for a comment.
In other developments yesterday:
* A renewable energy charity paid to process a quarter of Northern Ireland’s RHI applications said it would have been “ethically improper” to inform the government of flaws within the scheme.
* Eileen Paisley joined her son Ian in paying tribute to Martin McGuinness after the North Antrim MP offered “humble and honest” thanks to the former deputy first minister.
* Bookmakers were split last night on the likely successor to Mr. McGuinness as Sinn Féin’s leader in The North, with Michelle O’Neill and Conor Murphy the frontrunners.
