The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has called on the First Minister to take responsibility for the botched Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.

Mr Roy Beggs MLA has questioned why Arlene Foster did not seek to minimise the £400 million additional cost of the scheme when she was Finance Minister.

He said: "Alarm bells about the Renewable Heat Incentive have been ringing for some time, with an email from a whistle-blower outlining concerns in 2013. Arlene Foster when DETI Minister took the policy decision to copy the GB Scheme minus the cost protections, a mistake which our schools, roads and hospitals will undoubtedly suffer the consequences of.

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"In May 2015 she became Finance Minister, knowing the details behind the scheme why did she not engage with her counterpart in DETI, Jonathan Bell some 20 months ago?

"Was she trying to put distance between herself and the scheme? Or, did she conveniently avoid publicly disclosing the hundreds of millions of liabilities that have occurred and could have interrupted her coronation as First Minister?

"Or, was she avoiding the disclosure of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds during the run up to the Assembly Elections?"

He also called on Mrs Foster to step aside while a full investigation is being carried out.

(CD/LM)