Call for minister to redirect £92m 'underspend'

Sinn Féin’s Emma Sheeran has renewed her call for financial support, particularly for those working in services, construction, manufacturing, maintenance and engineering, who have up until this point been excluded from support.

She referred to the Department of Health’s underspend, and how this money could be redirected into the pockets of working people across Northern Ireland, who have borne the brunt of the financial pressures as a result of Covid-19.

“I have written to Robin Swann to ask that he create a scheme for workers from the £90m underspend that has been well documented in recent weeks.

“There is also a real issue for many of our low paid workers in the care and retail industries, for example supermarket staff, who cannot afford to self-isolate and are working in situations whereby they could be in close contact with hundreds of people every day.

“I’ve been inundated with calls from across South Derry, from people who are either self-employed and working in one of these industries, or an employee of a local firm, and have found themselves excluded from any financial help when forced to self-isolate.

“For someone to be expected to live on Statutory Sick Pay, which amounts to £95 a week, is totally unrealistic in 2021, but unfortunately that is what those who are self-isolating are expected to do.”

She added: “None of us asked to be in this pandemic, and the stress and strain it has caused in terms of the mental health implications and grief within our community is bad enough, without people having an additional money worry now.”

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