Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive additional coronavirus funding guarantee from UK Government
UK Government guarantees the devolved administrations will receive a minimum of £3.7 billion in additional funding this year.
-
the move gives Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the certainty to ensure they can plan for coronavirus response in the months ahead
-
the guaranteed funding – which takes total to at least £12.7 billion for this year - will ensure people, businesses and public services in all three nations get the support they need to recover from the pandemic
The devolved administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will receive a minimum of £3.7 billion in additional funding this year, on top of the £8.9 billion confirmed since March to support the coronavirus recovery, the UK government has announced.
The unprecedented upfront guarantee – which will take the total amount of coronavirus funding guaranteed to the three nations to a minimum of £12.7 billion for 2020/21 on top of their Spring Budget funding – will give the devolved administrations the certainty and financial flexibility to plan for the months ahead.
Any changes to the devolved administrations funding are normally confirmed at the end of the financial year, but today’s additional guarantee means they have the certainty to spend this funding now, on priorities such as the NHS and business support.
Today’s announcement means a total increase of at least £6.5 billion of additional funding for the Scottish Government, £4 billion for the Welsh Government and £2.2 billion for the Northern Ireland Executive. This represents a 25% increase in funding for the three nations - on top of their funding set out at the Spring Budget.
Today’s announcement follows the Prime Minister’s visit to Orkney yesterday, where he reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the union and pledged further support for Scottish communities.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Edinburgh, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay MP said:
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we said we would do everything we could to support the whole of the UK – whether that’s saving jobs or ensuring our vital NHS has the equipment it needs. And that is exactly what we have done.
Today we go one step further by giving the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the additional certainty they need to plan their own support schemes over the next few months.
This is yet another sign of our support for the Union and commitment to securing an economic recovery for the whole of the United Kingdom.
People and businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also continue to benefit from the UK Government’s world-leading package of support to protect the economy, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans and Bounce Back Loans. So far this has provided billions in support to business in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales during the crisis – protecting jobs and livelihoods.
To date, 1.7 million jobs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been supported through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
All three nations are also set to benefit from UK-wide measures announced by the Chancellor earlier this month in the Plan for Jobs – including the Job Retention Bonus, the Kickstart Scheme and Eat Out to Help Out.
The UK Government is committed to strengthening the Union between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, rebuilding vital connections with all parts of the UK and spreading opportunity.