On Wednesday, Long said the funding will “enable the PSNI to advance negotiations with police officers and police staff in a timely manner, to bring about an early settlement of the ongoing legal proceedings and ensure that significant additional costs to the public purse are not incurred”.
“I am also mindful of the distress experienced by those affected and I hope that today’s decision will bring reassurance to staff and their families,” she added.
In a statement Deputy First Minister Emma-Little Pengelly welcomed the funding.
“The loss of £120m to fund public services however is significant. This was a very costly error,” she said.
“I have asked the Head of the Civil Service to ensure the risk of further data breaches is minimised through better systems and processes.
“Whilst this is good news for the PSNI, it will have significant impact for next year’s overall budget for public services which is far from ideal.”