Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

After 12 months on illness benefit, I understand a person can go to partial capacity benefit and then work unrestricted, so that could in some way facilitate the phased return to work. To give an update on where we are, under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, my Department provides supports to those who contract an occupational disease at work. At the moment, Covid-19 does not constitute a prescribed disease or illness. We know that. The European Commission officially added Covid-19 to its list of recommended occupational illnesses on 28 November. It is up to the individual member state to decide whether to recognise Covid-19 as an occupational disease. Therefore, I have written to the Minister for Health and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment asking them for their views, which will help to inform the next steps. That is where the matter is at the moment. It will be up to them to decide who goes on this list or to give me a recommendation as to who should be on the occupational injuries benefit scheme.

I am waiting for a response back from both Departments. If the Chairman wants to raise it with them, that would be good.

The Department does not retain data on the number of people in receipt of illness benefit with a diagnosis of long Covid but there are currently 850 people in receipt of illness benefit as a result of a Covid-19 diagnosis. Those are the figures I have. I wanted to give the Chairman those.