John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Up until this evening, there were nine confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. That may be changing as we speak. The head of the HSE, Mr. Paul Reid, said that Ireland remains in a containment phase regarding the coronavirus but he said it would be a challenge to maintain this and the health service was preparing for further phases. Mr. Reid also said many people had been asked to self-isolate for the protection of the public. The British Government stated yesterday that up to 20% of the workforce may be off sick during the peak of a coronavirus epidemic in Britain. Unfortunately, that figure could be realised in Ireland, unless everything that can be done is done during the containment phase.

I have serious concerns that thousands of low-paid workers may be unable to afford to self-isolate. The Government must ensure that nobody is forced to work due to financial pressures, despite medical advice to self-isolate. We have had welcome statements from different Ministers regarding their portfolios. Several Departments were also referred to in the Minister for Health's speech. The one glaring omission is a statement from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Such a statement is badly needed because under health and safety legislation workers are obliged to ensure they do not pose a threat in their workplace. The right thing to do is for all employers to continue to pay workers who fall ill or have to self-isolate due to the coronavirus.

Unfortunately, some employers will not pay their workers. Yesterday, IBEC refused to give assurances that employers would provide sick pay to workers affected by Covid-19 on an across-the-board basis. The only option for many workers is illness benefit. Due to the qualifying criteria, however, many might not have sufficient PRSI contributions to qualify for illness benefit. Even if a worker qualifies for the full illness benefit, there is no entitlement for the first six days of absence from work. That period was increased from three days under this Government. The Government must make immediate changes to ensure illness benefit is paid from day one. Where there is a financial need, there must also be an emergency payment for anybody who does not meet the qualifying requirements for illness benefit. A simplified application process must also be rolled out to ensure people do not have to attend their Intreo office or a GP to get a medical certificate.

We will continue to work with the caretaker Government to ensure that virus containment efforts succeed. Central to that effort, however, are the thousands of workers who may be fearful that they cannot afford to self-isolate. We must ensure they can do so without the fear of being financially impacted. It would be helpful to get a statement from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection on that issue. It would also be helpful if the Department would clarify if legislation is needed to ensure people are not going to be financially impacted because they do the right and responsible thing by self-isolating. That aspect also needs to be looked at.

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