AQW 39179/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 27/01/2026
Answered On Date: 09/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any Invest NI support available for small to medium-sized enterprises, located in town centres, which are unable to extend premises or move into more suitable town centre premises, due to the lack of wastewater and sewage connections.

Answer:

Invest NI provides a broad range of support to small and medium sized businesses across the North primarily in the form of advice, guidance, innovation grants and access to finance.

It provides a range of finance solutions under the banner of ‘Access to Finance’. These funds include both debt and equity support to ensure that all businesses, regardless of their size, can access the funding they need to scale to the next level.

To ensure businesses can access the support they need to innovate Invest NI also provides support through its Innovation Voucher and Business Innovation Grant schemes. These initiatives provide grants to help local small and medium sized businesses develop and bring to market new products and services, or improve existing processes, all with the aim of increasing profits and driving growth.

The provision of wastewater and sewage connections does not fall within the remit of Invest NI.

Details on all of the support above can be found on the Invest NI website. If the Member would like to discuss further she should contact Invest NI’s Head of Southern Regional Business, Alistair Quinn, and if any business would like to discuss the support available to them, they should contact Invest NI’s Business Support Team on 0800 181 4422.