To ask the Minister for the Economy for an update on recouping grant payments made in error as part of the £10,000 Coronavirus Small Business Support Grant scheme.

The Department for the Economy continues to develop its processes for dealing with ineligible payments that have arisen through the Covid Business Grant schemes. A dedicated Covid Schemes Fraud and Error Oversight Project has been set up to deliver post-payment validation and to provide post-payment assurance on all Covid Business Grant schemes to date. The Project will deliver a programme of further analysis and testing of payments made which will, in turn, inform a recovery strategy and an ultimate assessment of the Scheme’s impact.