Lyons announces applications for Spend Local pre-paid card will open from 27 September to 25 October

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today announced a number of important dates in the rollout of the High Street Scheme (HSS).

Economy Minister Lyons with Ormeau Road traders

On a visit to Belfast’s Ormeau Road - which was recently announced as Retail NI’s High Street of the Year - the Minister announced that the online portal which will enable anyone aged over 18 and over to apply for the £100 Spend Local pre-paid cards - will be open from 27 September until 25 October.

He also announced a number of other key dates. They are:

• Week commencing 4 October – First tranche of cards will issue to those who have successfully applied for the Spend Local pre-paid card.
• 11 October – Telephone service will open to support applications from people not able to access or use the online portal.
• 25 October – High Street Scheme online portal and telephone services will close.
• 25 October – the last qualifying date for those turning 18 to be eligible to apply for a Spend Local card.
• 30 November – High Street Scheme closes and the Spend Local pre-paid cards will cease to be valid.

The Minister said:

“Now is the time to get ready to Spend Local. I am delighted to announce that the online portal will open to receive applications in just under two weeks with the first tranche of Spend Local pre-paid cards to issue the week beginning 4th of October.

“The objective of the £145million High Street Scheme is to boost local businesses following the drop in footfall brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. By giving everyone aged 18 and over in Northern Ireland a pre-paid card worth £100 to spend in local high businesses, we will encourage many more customers back through the doors of local retail, hospitality and services.

“I would encourage everyone who is over 18 by 25 October this year, to apply for their card between 27 September and 25 October. We expect demand to be high so please be patient if the online portal is busy just after it opens. It is important to remember that everyone will have at least four weeks to spend their card.

“By applying, receiving and ultimately spending your Spend Local card in local businesses such as shops, hospitality and other services before November 30, you will be doing your bit to support your local businesses.”

The Minister was joined by Chris O’Reilly, Chair of Ormeau Business Association, Simon Hamilton of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, Glyn Roberts of Retail NI and local traders.

Welcoming the scheme, Mr O’Reilly said:

“We would like to welcome the Minister to the Ormeau Road – the High Street of the Year. Like many other local high streets across our towns and cities, the Ormeau Road is home to a diverse range of shops, restaurants and pubs which have felt the impact of the pandemic through a reduced number of customers coming through our doors. The High Street Scheme will deliver just the boost we need right now. I am sure I speak for many traders across Northern Ireland when I say we are looking forward to seeing customers using their Spend Local cards.”  

Mr Hamilton said:

“Belfast Chamber is delighted to support the launch of the Department for the Economy’s Spend Local card. It has been an immensely challenging period for retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses and this £100 Spend Local card will give people the opportunity to actively help those businesses. It is also a great way to support everyone who works in our local shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and other services. This scheme will provide a much needed and very timely boost to those hard-hit sectors and make a massive difference to businesses as we emerge from the pandemic and edge towards recovery.”

Mr Roberts said:

“Retail NI has been a strong advocate for the High Street Scheme as a stimulant to support economic recovery. This £100 pre-paid Spend Local Card will be a much needed welcome spending boost for many retailers and our High Streets as whole. Our sector has suffered significantly during the pandemic and the High Street Scheme has come at the right time. I encourage consumers to spend this card with local retailers to boost our economy.”

From 27 of September to 25 of October applicants will be asked to apply through NI Direct.  For verification purposes in order to reduce the risk of fraud and error, each applicant will be asked to provide:

• name
• address
• age
• gender
• disability status
• national insurance number
• email address
• telephone number

Applicants will also have the option of including a driving licence number to enable verification. Once the applicant has completed the registration process their information will be checked against a number of government databases to verify their identity.

The portal is expected to be extremely busy in the days after it opens. Applicants are reminded that the online portal will be open for four weeks and everyone will have a minimum of four weeks to spend their card.

When an applicant receives their card, they will need to verify the card through a computer-operated phone system or text message and make the first payment using a pin, before they can start to use it for contactless payments.

The cards can be used in all participating businesses in Northern Ireland. They cannot be used online or for gambling or some financial and legal services.

The telephone support service will open on 11th October. The later opening of the telephone service has been implemented to encourage more people to apply online when the portal opens on 27th September and avoid using the phone line leaving it available for those who do not have access to, or are not able to use, the internet.

A public information campaign across television, radio, press and social media will begin soon to keep applicants up-to-date with the scheme

Notes to editors: 

1. From 27 of September to 25 of October, applicants can apply for the Spend Local card through portal through NI Direct: Spend local card
    
2. The High Street Scheme Spend Local pre-paid card will be able to be accepted by shops and businesses which can accept credit and debit cards for payment. It cannot be used to purchase goods or services online.
    
3. The Department’s Economic Recovery Action Plan is available at; Economic Recovery Action Plan   
    
4. The Department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the Department’s internal records management system. The Department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The Department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.
    
5. Follow us on Twitter @Economy_NI
     
6. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk
    
7. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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