The Department for Infrastructure has made a Statutory Order entitled “The Bus Operator (Coronavirus, Financial Assistance) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020” (S.R. 2020 No. 282), which comes into operation on 27th November 2020.

The First Minister and deputy First Minister, acting jointly, have made a determination that exceptional circumstances exist for licensed bus operators, including financial hardship arising from the loss of business, as a consequence of the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Accordingly, these Regulations provide for the setting up of a Scheme under which the Department for Infrastructure may make financial assistance payments to eligible licensed bus operators who have suffered because of the exceptional circumstances identified.

The Schedule to these Regulations sets out the detail of the Bus Operator Financial Assistance Scheme 2020.

The Scheme—

(a) specifies the manner in which applications are to be made (paragraph 4);

(b) specifies the eligibility criteria and the payment amount (paragraphs 5 and 6);

(c) provides for the Department to approve or reject applications, make payments of financial assistance and advise applicants of its decision regarding payment (paragraph 7);

(d) provides for the recovery by the Department of any amounts paid in excess of entitlement under the Scheme (paragraph 8);

(e) provides for a review of the decision by the Department (paragraph 9); and

(f) provides for the request of information from other public bodies for use in determining eligibility and for the sharing of information in relation to eligibility with other public bodies (paragraph 10).

An Explanatory Memorandum has been produced and is available from the Safe and Accessible Travel Division, Department for Infrastructure, Clarence Court, 10-18 Adelaide Street, Town Parks, Belfast, BT2 8GB or online alongside these Regulations at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr

Copies of the Rule may be purchased from the Stationery Office at www.tsoshop.co.uk or by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0870 600 5522 or viewed online at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.