To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any plans he has to reallocate surplus funds from the (i) Enhanced Flood Support Scheme; and (ii) hardship scheme in the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area.

There was no specific amount of funding set aside for Newry Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC).

When coming into office, Conor Murphy agreed to provide up to £10 million to fund three schemes that provided additional support to businesses impacted by the severe flooding in November 2004, i.e. the Enhanced flood Support Scheme (EFSS) and two hardship funds. Whilst it was estimated that the schemes would cost up to £10 million, the final cost of delivering the schemes was less than anticipated. Conor had asked officials to explore options for utilising any unused funding, including options to transfer funding to other Departments, but no realistic deliverable options were identified given the time frame available.

However, before leaving office, Conor asked officials to explore options for implementing a more permanent flood support scheme for businesses similar to schemes operating in Britain. In recognition of the increased number of flood incidents over the past few years, he also felt it would be an opportune time to include a review of support for everyone impacted by flooding, including residents, sports clubs etc. He, therefore, instructed officials to establish a cross departmental group to explore options for future flood schemes to support recovery and resilience for all those impacted by flooding. A terms of reference for the group is currently being drafted.