To ask the Minister for Communities whether businesses situated outside designated town centre areas could be made eligible for Business Adaption and Improvement Grant Scheme in Ards and North Down.

My department has made available funding to Councils for the implementation of COVID-19 Recovery Revitalisation Plans in their areas. In Ards & North Down, £561,000 has already been transferred to the Council to cover immediate first tranche actions across the Borough, including the business support scheme. A further significant tranche of funding aimed at supporting medium to longer-term needs will be made available once the Revitalisation Plan is finalised. It is a matter for the Council to determine eligibility criteria for the provision of funding through this scheme.