To ask the Minister for Communities for her assessment of the impact the withdrawal of Stability and Renewal funding has had on the organisations asked to repay the funding; and whether her Department has agreed any arrangements to allow organisations to repay when they can afford to, given their sector is still not allowed to fully open.

My Department distributed just under £36 million in 2020/2021 to support the culture, languages, arts and heritage organisations and individuals impacted by the pandemic.

No funding has been withdrawn; however, some awards were adjusted to take account of the presence of double funding. One organisation has been asked to repay a small amount of duplicate grant funding.

Given the ongoing challenges, I am happy to confirm that the Arts Council

will facilitate an extended repayment period, should this be needed.