To ask the Minister of Finance whether (i) he is considering a bid of £20 million for COVID-19 funding for Translink; and (ii) any such money would come from the £55 million pot established for personal protective equipment and sectoral support.

In addition to £20m allocated in the 2020-21 Budget to address Translink’s underlying deficit, I understand that the Infrastructure Minister has already allocated £70 million to Translink from the additional allocations provided to her Department in response to COVID-19.

The Department for Infrastructure had originally submitted a further bid of £20 million for Translink in the recent October Monitoring Round exercise, however following the introduction of greater Covid-19 restrictions Departments have been asked to reconsider their Covid-19 bids as a matter of urgency.

It is my intention to bring all October Monitoring bids to the Executive for consideration as soon as possible once a clearer picture is known.

In light of the emerging Covid-19 situation, the Executive will also have to reconsider how much money is being held for specific purposes such as personal protective equipment and sectoral support, and how this is to be used.