Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will not be too long. I thank all the speakers for coming here today, and for their presentations and comments on Deputy O'Reilly's Bill. The Bill opens up discussion about the progress which needs to be made in reporting Covid cases, working conditions in certain workplaces, and the need for statutory sick pay. I understand from the witnesses' presentations that there are three different ways of reporting cases for which the employer is responsible. How quickly can an employer report a case and what is the actual process of reporting? Reporting of Covid cases needs to be done in a time-sensitive manner and we need to ensure there is no unnecessary bureaucracy involved.

My main point is about sick pay. The safety of workers and wider society is the priority here and I think we all agree on that. However, it would be naive not to acknowledge many workers in workplaces, such as meat processing plants, do not have sick pay schemes, which could deter them from reporting their symptoms or getting tested for fear of being without a salary for weeks and not being able to make ends meet. The solution is clearly the introduction of statutory sick pay, which I believe is currently being progressed and reviewed by the Tánaiste. However, I want to hear from the witnesses about their engagement with workers and whether they think this is a contributing factor to clusters and levels of Covid cases. What can potentially be done in the interim period? I invite the three witnesses to give their opinion on sick pay.