The High Street (Coronavirus, Financial Assistance) Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

These Regulations provide for the issue of a pre-paid stored value card to successful applicants under the High Street Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2021.

Regulation 2 provides that the Scheme is set out in the Schedule.

The Schedule -

(a) provides that the Department for the Economy must issue a pre-paid stored value card to applicants who meet the eligibility criteria;

(b) specifies the how the application must be made, including the period within which the application must be made (“the application period”);

(c) provides for a reconsideration of rejected applications;

(d) provides that the Department must arrange to have a pre-paid card issued to successful applicants by a pre-paid card provider with whom the Department has entered into an arrangements;

(e) provides for the period during which a pre-paid card may be used (“the spend period”) ;

(f) provides what a pre-paid card may be used for and what uses are excluded;

(g) provides that payments made to applicants who are not eligible under the Scheme may be recovered; and

(h) provides that the stored value of a pre-paid card is to be ignored for certain social security purposes.

A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been prepared for these Regulations. An Explanatory Memorandum has been published alongside this instrument. Both documents can be viewed at www.economy-ni.gov.uk