AQO 2183/17-22

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 27/05/2021
Answered On Date: 08/06/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance for an update on top-up grants for businesses that did not receive financial support during the recent lockdown.

Answer:

Throughout this pandemic I have been determined to ensure support reached as many businesses as possible. My Department has been at the forefront of providing vital support to businesses, sustaining businesses and protecting the jobs they provide. The Top-Up Grants are designed to provide financial support to thousands of businesses which were allowed to remain open and therefore unable to access grant support despite experiencing a significant reduction in trade because of the restrictions.

I am pleased to say that on 27 May 2021 payments of the £5,000 Top-Up were issued to 12,056 businesses. The total value of those payments was £60.3 million.

On the same day, payments of the £10,000 Top-Up were issued to 1,148 businesses. The total value of those payments was £11.5 million.

Approximately 1,560 potentially eligible small businesses operate from properties where the landlord pays the rates. My department needs to gather additional information to confirm that those business still operate from the same address. An application process for these businesses and any business which started to trade between 20 May 2020 and 1 March 2021 will be launched later this month and I expect payments to be made in late June and early July.