AQW 9934/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 09/11/2020
Answered On Date: 10/12/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether the money reclaimed from ineligible businesses that received COVID funding or grants will be redistributed to businesses which were eligible for funding but which (i) mistakenly applied for the wrong grant; (ii) applied beyond the cut-off point; (iii) missed out on funding because they were not the named ratepayers on the properties their business operated from; or (iv) missed out on funding due to any other oversight of Land and Property Services.

Answer:

The £10,000 Small Business Support Grant scheme, £25,000 Retail, Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure grant scheme and the NI Microbusiness Hardship Fund have all closed to applications and appeals. As this is the case, any recovered payments cannot be redistributed within the schemes. Further allocation of funding for Covid business support measures is a matter for collective Executive agreement.