AQW 16889/17-22

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 25/03/2021
Answered On Date: 14/05/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance, pursuant to AQW 16399/17-22, to detail the cost to date for each of the approved schemes.

Answer:

A list of the cost to date for each of the approved COVID-19 Schemes is attached at Annex A. Some of the schemes listed are closed but others remain open and costs continue to accrue. Therefore, the costs listed are provisional and subject to verification as part of the departments’ 2020-21 accounts preparation.

I am reissuing the response as the DfE costs on the Covid Disruption Payment for HE students has now been provided.

Annex A

List of COVID-19 Schemes approved to date under Ministerial Direction for 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Department	Subject	Cost to date	Note
The Executive Office	Support for Travel Agents	£0	1
Department for Infrastructure	City of Derry Airport	£0.817m
Department of Finance	Covid Temporary time limited financial support for Belfast International Airport and Belfast City Airport	£3.76m
Department of Finance	Extension of the financial support Agreed for Derry City and Strabane District to all areas (Localised Restrictions Support Scheme)	£305.46m
Department of Finance	£50,000 grant for large businesses unable to access grant funding during the first lockdown	£0	2
Department of Finance	£25,000 payment to manufacturing businesses unable to access grant funding during the first lockdown	£20.7m
Department of Finance	Top-up payments of £5,000 and £10,000 for businesses which received grants during the first lockdown but are not eligible for one of the current Executive support schemes	£0	3
Department for the Economy	Covid-19 £10k Business Support Grant Scheme	£243m
Department for the Economy	Covid-19 £25k Business Support Scheme for Retail, hospitality, Tourism and Leisure	£74m
Department for the Economy	Covid Microbusiness Hardship Scheme	£23m
Department for the Economy	Covid Restrictions Business Support Scheme including extensions and Evidence Threshold	£67.4m
Department for the Economy	Wet Pubs Business Support Scheme	£3.9m
Department for the Economy	Newly Self-employed Scheme	£8.6m
Department for the Economy	Limited Company Director Scheme	£3.7m
Department for the Economy	Bed & Breakfast, Guest House and Guest Accommodation Providers Support Scheme	£2.01m
Department for the Economy	Large Tourism and Hospitality Scheme	£35.7m
Department for the Economy	Covid Disruption Payment for HE students	£22.2m
Department of Health	£500 Bonus Scheme for health and social care staff	£78.9m
Department of Health	Special Recognition Payment to healthcare students	£8.8m
Department of Health	Additional Financial Support to DoH core grant-funded organisations in 2020/21	£0.9m
Department of Health	Air Ambulance NI	£1m
Department of Health	Grant Scheme to Support Carers	£4.4m
Department of Health	Grant Scheme to Support Cancer Services	£10.7m
Department of Health	Grant Scheme to Support Mental Health Services	£10.7m
Department of Health	Payment of £1.3m to Hospices	£1.3m
Department of Health	One-Off Award to HSC Charitable Trust Funds	£15m
Department of Education	Free School Meals in Special Schools – direct payments for all entitled pupils in addition to provision for those in school during period of partial closures and low attendance (25 Jan to 12 Feb 2021)	£0.140m
Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs	Scheme to compensate Lough Neagh fishermen who have been adversely affected by COVID-19	£0	4
Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs	COVID-19 Disruption payment of £60 to CAFRE students to address digital poverty	£0	5
Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs	COVID-19 support scheme for wool producers	£0	6
Department for Communities	£500 Recognition payment for Supporting People and Homelessness Sector Workers	£0	7

Notes:-

The Travel Agents Financial Assistance was open for applications from 19th – 26th March 2021. 186 applications are currently being processed. Final costs will be known once all applications have been processed.

Applications opened on the 21 April 21 for the £50,000 Large NAV Business Grant. No payments have been made to date, and it is anticipated payments will be issued from the end of May 2021.

No payments have been made to date for the Business Support Grant Top-Up Scheme. It is anticipated automatic payments will begin to issue from the end of May 2021.

No payments will be made until applications are assessed and Letters of Offer are issued to successful applicants. The intention is to have all payments made by 31 July 2021.

The scheme will open in summer 2021. No payments will be made until then.

Payments will be made over the next two months.

To date Department for Communities has not made any payments in connection with a £500 recognition payment to Supporting People and homelessness staff.