Economy Minister Diane Dodds has said the High Street Voucher Scheme will have a "multiplier effect" on the Northern Ireland economy.
In April, the Minister announced that every adult will be eligible for a £100 voucher to spend on their local high street.
During Question Time at Stormont on Monday, she was asked about the terms and conditions of the scheme by Green Party MLA Clare Bailey.
Diane Dodds said the scheme is a "cornerstone of my economy action plan" which seeks to provide a £140m injection of support to towns and city centres.
She added that this "significant step to kickstarting recovery" is expected to help protect jobs and should be launched towards the end of summer.
Mrs Dodds continued: “The multiplier effect of the scheme for people spending more than the value of the card and the ripple effects, will deliver economic benefits.”
Responding to a question from Linda Dillon of Sinn Fein, the Minister said her department will work with local businesses to ensure the “messaging is right around it”.
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The SDLP’s Sinead McLaughlin asked if an economic assessment had been carried out in relation to the ripple effect of the scheme, to which Mrs Dodds said that in Jersey and Malta, where similar schemes were established, multiplier effects were evident.
As the High Street Voucher scheme is designed to support the local economy in its recovery from lockdown, the 'vouchers' can only be spent in “bricks and mortar” businesses.
People will be able to use the scheme’s pre-paid card in shops and businesses in a similar way that credit and debit cards are used. So if a business can accept debit and credit cards for payment, then it will be able to accept the High Street Scheme card.
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