AQW 22945/17-22

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 22/09/2021
Answered On Date: 16/11/2021
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy what protections have been put in place to ensure the High Street Stimulus scheme are not able to be spent by a person who has taken the card from the recipient.

Answer:

Each Spend Local Pre-paid card is given an individual security PIN. Details on how to activate each card and to retrieve the security PIN are advised to card recipients in a letter which accompanies each card. It is the card recipient’s responsibility to ensure the PIN is not shared and that the card is kept in a secure place.

The Department has set up an automated Customer Service Line where card recipients can report a lost or stolen card. You can also instantly report a lost or stolen card, and block or unblock your card from use through the client services portal.