Ulster Unionist Economy spokesperson, John Stewart MLA, has stated that it is essential that those businesses who have previously missed out, are not overlooked again.
Mr Stewart said:
“Following the Finance`s Minister announcement, businesses need to hear some detail from the Economy Minister to put more meat on the bones and provide further clarity. Many businesses have missed out on support throughout the course of the pandemic. They have been excluded not once, but twice already and they can`t afford to be left behind again.
“It is essential that the Department for the Economy implements a secondary scheme to assist those who don`t have business premises, don`t pay rates, those working from home or for example in the case of many hairdressers, rent a chair in a salon.
“In addition, it is essential that the payments are rolled out in double-quick time as a one-off payment to assist businesses with cash flow problems. They won`t cover all costs, cash-flow is already tight and drying up, so the least we can do is to get the support funds to the right people as soon as possible.”