THE North of Ireland is to get a further £300 million from the British government to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic.
The money can be spent now or carried into the new financial year in April, which the Treasury says shows “unprecedented flexibility”.
Stormont ministers have been concerned that extra funding they received in December will not all be spent and some may have to be handed back.
Funding allocations have become more complicated during the pandemic.
Normally Scotland, Wales and the North of Ireland get a population-based proportion of new spending for England.
In July 2020, the government decided to give the devolved institutions money up front without having to wait for it to be spent in England first.
The UK government initially announced a guarantee of an additional £12.7bn on 24 July which has now been uplifted four times.
The North of Ireland has now been allocated a total of £3.3 billion in that way.
The further funding was welcomed by Finance Minister Conor Murphy.
He said he and his counterparts in Scotland and Wales had pushed the Treasury to allow money to be carried into the new financial year.
“I’m pleased flexibility has been granted in relation to this funding which will ensure continued support for the health service, individuals and businesses in the tough months ahead,” he added.
British Chancellor Rishi Sunak will dellver his budget next month.
All eyes will be on whether he will further extend the furlough scheme and maintain the extre £20 a week which was added to Universal Credit.
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