Member's statement: Enhanced Flood Support Scheme: Delays
Member's statement by Ms Diane Forsythe on .
- MLA
- Ms Diane Forsythe
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 21 May 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Enhanced Flood Support Scheme: Delays
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4491406
Read the official Assembly record
Text
This morning, I was horrified to hear on the news that almost 100 businesses that were affected by the extreme flooding last October and November are still waiting, over six months on, on their payments from a Department for the Economy compensation scheme. Last October and November, following extreme weather, south Down, Newry and Portadown suffered devastation to infrastructure and many businesses. Those businesses were destroyed — their stock and furniture and people's livelihoods. Hearts were broken throughout families in the community. The financial response was always slow, and all local representatives called for urgent support. In late 2023, £15 million of support was announced, with some £7,500 paid to businesses before Christmas. The Economy Minister announced the release of a further £10 million in February 2024, giving much hope to many, but, today, on 21 May 2024, we hear that payments still have not reached businesses that have suffered significant loss. The failure to get the money, as promised, to those who have suffered is unacceptable and needs to be explained. It cannot be delayed any further. Those businesses have suffered extreme losses. Many have closed because they cannot afford to meet the bills associated with their lost stock. Many have run up debt to stay open, in the hope of receiving the promised relief soon. People deserve to get that which they have been promised and get it promptly. I was aware of some delays and submitted a question for written answer to the Minister last week. If there were problems with the scheme, why did the Minister not intervene and why did we have to learn of the scale of the issue through the media? The failure to deliver dramatically affects those suffering and the confidence of our communities and of the entire population of Northern Ireland, because they lose faith in our Government's delivery on financial promises that were made. My question for written answer asked the Minister how much of the £10 million from the enhanced flood support scheme has been paid out. Following the media reports today, it certainly seems that it is well below what has been promised. I want urgent clarity on that. I also ask the Minister whether the full £10 million cost associated with the compensation claims that was announced by her predecessor in February 2024 has been accrued as expenditure by the Department for the Economy in the 2023-24 financial year, with the intention to spend it. The floods devastated our communities. The infrastructure failures are still visible and unresolved, with no report from DFI on the responses or lessons learned. Roads in my constituency are still partially closed seven months on, following landslides in Rostrevor, and the promised repairs needed because of the devastation in Ballinran have not been completed. The failure of the Department for the Economy to deliver the money promised to businesses in a timely manner is a disgrace, and the Minister needs to make it a priority today. Payments need to be made, and we need to see improvements when it comes to any future schemes.
512 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.95).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.95 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:31 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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