Ms Edel McGinley:

As we stated, 90% of workers are not covered by any sick pay scheme, so there was a lot of misunderstanding about qualifying for sick pay and, where there was an entitlement, how to claim it. That was difficult for people. The majority of people we work with are back in work and have been for a long time. Most people we work with have been working all the time. Part of the scandal of this is that workers have not been given any extra pay throughout this period. They have been working in a very difficult environment. We, as a country, expected them to step up and do essential work and their employers have not valued this in any way. That needs to be addressed.