To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) the impact of the reported 25 per cent departmental staff vacancy rate on the delivery of COVID-19 support; and (ii) what actions her Department is taking to address this issue.

Officials across my Department are balancing the day to day activities alongside priority work areas including the Covid-19 pandemic response, EU Exit and putting place plans for economic recovery and our vision for the future.

Despite having a relatively high vacancy rate, the Department, in conjunction with Invest NI which delivers a number of schemes, has developed and delivered significant support to the economy at speed and under difficult and pressurised circumstances. The delivery of support in response to the Covid-19 pandemic remains a priority for the Department and the allocation of staffing resources reflect that priority.

Officials working on the support schemes are also having to respond to the extensive volume of correspondence received by my Department which includes machinery of government requests, putting further pressure on delivery teams and impacting on the time spent on scheme delivery.