Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that we value and recognise the extraordinary role of out front-line healthcare workers. We are continuing to work on this issue because we need to get it right. If we do not get it right it could result in unnecessary divisions being opened up and we should seek to avoid that. There are a number of elements to it, as the Deputy knows, and many of them have been publicly discussed on a number of occasions. We need to find an appropriate way to remember and commemorate the fact that well over 5,000 people have lost their lives to Covid-19 so far. As the Deputy knows, the issue of a public holiday has been under consideration and there is the question of the timing of that. It would have an impact on employers and we need to make sure that adequate notice is given as well.

The Deputy also asked about who should get a recognition payment, how much it should be and when it should be paid.

We are considering these issues and it is being actively worked on, not just by me but by a number of colleagues across Government. We are really conscious that at this very point in time, those front-line workers are once again working in incredibly difficult positions. Our focus is to help them, and to provide as many resources as we possibly can and do all we can as a Government to stem the tide of this pandemic and get on top of the situation again. There will be an appropriate moment soon when we can confirm how we are going to address all the issues I touched on.

I assure the Deputy and all the front-line workers in our healthcare system that this has not been forgotten about. It is very much a live issue. Government has been focused on the immediate response that is needed with regard to booster campaigns and adding capacity as best we can across the system. This issue will be dealt with shortly, however.