Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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A temporary 12-month Special Scheme of Paid Leave was introduced in July 2022 for certain eligible public health sector employees suffering from long-COVID.

At my request, this Special Scheme was extended a number of times, most recently in October 2023 when it was extended to run until the end of March 2024. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform it clear that this was a final extension, meaning the Special Scheme would end on 31 March 2024.

The conclusion of the Special Scheme has been the subject of an industrial relations claim from health sector staff representative bodies and has been referred back to the Workplace Relations Commission.

I sought a reinstatement of the Special Scheme to allow for further conciliation to take place on the matter, and I can confirm that the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform have approved a 3 month reinstatement to facilitate this. Talks are ongoing in this regard.

The reinstatement is retrospective to 1 April 2024, and will apply only to those individuals who were previously on the Special Scheme.

My colleague, the Minister for Social Protection has reviewed the EU recommendation to recognise Covid as an occupational illness, in the context of the Department of Social Protection Benefits Schemes, and the list of prescribed diseases/illnesses set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, however Minister Humphrey's has determined that the necessary criteria are not met for the recommendation to be adopted.