To ask the Minister for the Economy (i) to detail the number of people on furlough who are receiving the maximum payment of £2,500 per month; and (ii) for an update on the anticipated number of workers currently on furlough who will cease to be employed when the scheme ends.

HMRC does not publish statistics on the value of furlough claims at a regional level. Latest data show that there have been around 11.6m unique jobs supported by the furlough scheme in the UK since its inception with a total of approximately £65.9bn claimed.

In Northern Ireland, provisional figures from the latest HMRC release show that there have been around 285,500 unique jobs supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) since its inception. This is approximately 2.5% of cumulative employments furloughed in the UK.

Provisional figures also show that some 58,600 employments were furloughed at 31 May 2021 using the CJRS. This is a decrease from 92,900 employments furloughed at 30 April and from 102,200 furloughed at 31 March and numbers are at their lowest since the time series began (1st July 2020).

It is welcome that just over 34,000 workers have come off furlough in May but I am aware that there are still a lot of people in need of this vital UK Government support.

This clearly demonstrates the impact that lockdowns have had on the local labour market and the benefits to the economy, businesses and our people of easing them safely.

It is difficult to predict the anticipated number of workers currently on furlough who will cease to be employed when the scheme ends. However, it is inevitable that my Department will see an increase in people seeking support that we have in place.

This is why my Department’s Economic Recovery Action Plan and 10X Vision is of utmost importance. Economic recovery will need to be nurtured in order to minimise the possible scarring effects on the economy. We need to look forward to a ‘10X Economy’ by doubling down on our efforts to rebuild a stronger economy, by embracing the changes that the pandemic has forced upon us with confidence and ambition and by striving towards a decade of innovation.

For all of our people, this means better jobs with better wages, in a more flexible working environment and a better overall quality of life with an overall outcome that sees Northern Ireland positioned amongst the elite small advanced economies in the world.