Assembly Written Question 11033/17-22

Question: To ask the Minister for the Economy for her assessment of whether, following further announcements on the functioning of the Shared Prosperity Fund, enough financial support will be available to maintain projects currently funded via the European Social Fund.

Answer: Under the terms of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, the 66 Priority 1 & 2 projects and the Priority 3 Apprenticeships NI programme currently funded via the NI European Social Fund (ESF) Programme 2014-20 will continue to be funded until concluded in March 2022 and December 2023 respectively. There is insufficient detail in the Shared Prosperity Fund announcements to inform potential future impact. I continue to liaise with the Minister for Finance who leads on the negotiations on the functioning and quantum of replacement funding.