To ask the Minister of Health (i) why the one-off COVID-19 recognition payment to carers could not be made; (ii) to outline the differences between this scheme and other recognition payments already completed; and (iii) how much of the £4.4m has already been committed to rolling out the scheme.

As I explained to the House on 15th June, this work has, unfortunately, proven to be significantly more complex and challenging than originally thought and that there are substantial legal, operational and financial impediments. However, I have escalated the issue to the Executive to seek the assistance of all Executive colleagues in taking this forward.

The main differences between other payment schemes and the one-off payment to carers is that the relevant Departments have the legal powers to make these payments, the recipients were identifiable and verifiable and a mechanism for making the payments was already in place.

The £4.4m Support for Carers’ Fund was launched in March 2021 to provide support for charities working for and with unpaid carers. This Fund cannot make payments to individuals. Further details on the Fund is available here:

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/unpaid-carers-are-backbone-society-swann