Spend Local: Minister reveals compensation plan

The scheme initially opened on 27 September for applicants aged 18 and over

People who were not able to avail of Stormont's high street voucher scheme are to be compensated, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has said.

He said about 6,000 people did not receive a Spend Local card and others had difficulty using them.

The minister appeared before the economy committee on Wednesday.

He said details of the "remedy payment" were being finalised and he hoped to bring forward the scheme in the coming days.

Mr Lyons said his officials had shared proposals with their counterparts in the Department of Finance and were currently awaiting approval for the scheme.

'A real boost'

More than 1.4 million adults received a £100 spending card, which was to be used in shops and not online, before the scheme closed.

However, the deadline for when the card could be be accepted was extended a number of times as many applicants reported delays in receiving or problems using it.

In December, those who were eligible for an extension were given until 7 January to spend their card.

Gordon Lyons said he recognised some people were left frustrated by issues accessing the scheme

Mr Lyons said the spending cards had "produced a real boost to the local economy" and rejected that it had been an "alternative" to regular Christmas spending.

"When you actually speak to businesses, they were busier than they had been in many, many years," Mr Lyons said.

"A lot of the time, because people were going out to treat themselves, they were doing something that they wouldn't normally have done."

The minister added that he recognised the concerns and frustrations expressed by many.

"There's a lot of people, through no fault of their own, weren't able to avail of it and those are the people that we are trying to address at this stage."

The committee's chair Caoimhe Archibald MLA said members "will be glad to hear the high street voucher remedy is being worked on".