More than £200m of Covid-19 relief funding not yet spent in NI

Finance Minister Conor Murphy has urged ministers to make bids for remaining funds as a “matter of urgency”.

Along with the Scottish and Welsh finance minister, Mr Murphy has also requested flexibility from the Treasury to carry over funding into 2021/22.

Northern Ireland has been allocated £3 billion in Covid-19 funding, including £200 million announced just before Christmas.

Mr Murphy told the Assembly that some £219.2 million of allocations to departments were unspent.

This includes £105.4 million from the Department for the Economy and £90 million from the Department of Health.

Mr Murphy also explained how other monies have been freed up after the Treasury committed to directly fund pressures arising from increased carry forward of annual leave, and the Department of Transport to supporting airports.

He also explained that the latest forecasts of regional rate income show that funding set aside for rate relief measures will not now be required.

Mr Murphy said the total amount of Covid-19 funding for allocation is £509 million.

Departmental bids so far have been met in full, he told MLAs.

Allocations made in the January monitoring round include £154 million for the Department for the Economy to provide support to individuals and businesses.

The Department of Finance will receive £101.6 million, including £100 million to extend the Localised Restrictions Support Scheme, and £600,000 to provide rate relief to local newspapers.

The Department for Infrastructure will receive £12.1 million to help address the impact of Covid-19 on the department.

The Department of Education will receive £7.5 million to continue the response to Covid-19 in schools, and to extend the Lost Learning Programme to special schools.

Mr Murphy said he has asked ministers to bring forward proposals for further support as a “matter of urgency”.

Finance Committee chair Steve Aiken expressed concern at how the remaining funding can be spent before the end of the financial year in March and described the underspend as “remarkable”.

Mr Murphy said: “We have some degree of assurance in terms of the money we received very late, just prior to Christmas, £200 million, but the more that we could carry over, the better for us because we face very significant pressures next year.”