AQW 11354/17-22

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 01/12/2020
Answered On Date: 07/12/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance whether the Local Restrictions Support Scheme application form has been reviewed since the scheme was launched to reduce common errors found in applications.

Answer:

Yes. Changes have been made to the Localised Restrictions Support Scheme application portal to reduce the likelihood of the common forms of error in submissions. In particular, it has been updated to prevent applicants indicating they were closed prior to restrictions taking effect, when in fact they were open. LPS has also updated the address input fields to restrict the option for manual address input which has led to applications with poor quality information which are difficult to validate and added validation checks to prevent invalid bank account details from being entered.