Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
RECOVERY PROMISE..
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS: BID TO CLAW BACK £10K PAYMENTS Dodds pledge on grants Foster’s PSNI probe call Eight more Covid deaths
ALL payments to ineligible businesses through Stormont’s emergency Covid grant scheme will be recovered, Economy Minister Diane Dodds vowed yesterday.
More than 400 firms received the money wrongly, while initial delays in repayment sparked the resignation of four Sinn Fein members.
The Economy Minister said: “I am content my department took the necessary swift action to support tens of thousands of businesses and jobs under threat caused by the Covid-19 crisis.”
Under the scheme, a £10,000 payment was automatically sent to any firm in receipt of small business rate relief.
Less than 2% of nearly 25,000 payments issued were affected. A total of 74 have been recouped in full.
Mrs Dodds added her department would “put in place a full process” to recover ineligible payments.
Meanwhile, First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster has backed calls for a police probe into delays in repaying Covid-19 support payments.
Sinn Fein’s f ormer West Tyrone MLA Catherine Kelly became the fourth member of her party to quit over the relief cash at the weekend.
She tendered her resignation to Mary Lou Mcdonald on Saturday.
The Sinn Fein leader acknowledged and apologised “once again” for the “clear failure to immediately reimburse public money”.
Three other party officials – including former Foyle MP Elisha Mccallion and officials in Upper Bann and West Tyrone – stepped down.
No DUP politicians received the payment, but a landlord who rents an office to Democratic Unionist MP Paul Girvan received a grant. However, this has now been repaid.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health announced yesterday there has been eight further Covid-19-linked deaths in Northern Ireland and 493 new cases of the virus.
The death toll recorded by the department stands at 724, while the total number of positive cases has risen to 39,609.
Stormont leaders have urged Michael Gove to extend the furlough scheme beyond the end of November.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill said it would provide a lifeline to many struggling during the pandemic.
She joined members of the Scottish and Welsh administrations during yesterday ’s talks with the Cabinet Office.
It came on the day Northern Ireland’s schools reopened with special safety measures following the extended mid-term break. They i nclude the mandatory wearing of face coverings for post-primary pupils on school transport.
Education Minister Peter Weir urged parents and carers not to congregate at school gates when dropping off pupils.