To ask the Minister for the Economy (i) when the current exclusion of the sports sector, in respect of the £10,000 small business grants, will be lifted for the purposes of COVID-19; and (ii) when sports clubs will have access to the £25,000 leisure, tourism and hospitality grants.

(i) The Small Business Support Grant scheme is open to all businesses who are in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) or Industrial Derating and have a Total Net Annual Value of £15,000 or below. The scheme does not specifically exclude the sports sector but it is possible that many in this sector may receive Sport and Recreation Rate Relief rather than SBRR or Industrial Derating, which would subsequently exclude them from the grant scheme. The rating system has been used as a means to quickly identify businesses and to pay grants. At present there are no plans to extend the scheme to cover businesses who receive Sport and Recreation Rate Relief.

(ii) Sports clubs are eligible for the £25,000 Business Support Grant scheme for the retail, hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors if they have a Total Net Annual Value (NAV) of between £15,001 and £51,000, subject to some exclusions.

Further information on the schemes is available at https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/campaign/coronavirus-updates-support-your-business.

The Department for Communities has responsibility for sport. Minister Hargey has announced that sports clubs and sporting organisations from the voluntary and community sector, which are unable to receive support from other Government Covid-19 Mitigation Funds, will be able to apply to Sport NI for a small grant of £2,000 to help with immediate financial commitments to maintain their facilities during the Covid-19 restrictions. More information on this is available at www.sportni.net/funding/our-funding-programmes/sports-hardship-fund