The Mid Ulster MLA said, "I have been calling for a further support scheme for some time now. My colleague Jonathan Buckley who is Chair of the Infrastructure Committee has been seeking to meet the Minister over a number of weeks now to also make this case.
Whilst these companies have been under severe pressure for quite some time I am glad that the Minister has now moved to seek Executive approval for a third assistance scheme.
The bus and coach sector directly employs over 3,000 people and 84% of companies reported a reduction in income of more than 40% during October and November 2021. With approval now being sought I would hope that the scheme can be rolled out quickly with companies receiving this much needed assistance before it is too late for many of them."