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

The Minister for Health is acutely conscious of this issue and there is work on it ongoing within his Department. There are legacy cases of people who, unfortunately, contracted Covid, quite possibly in the workplace, at a time when the risks were not fully known. They went to work to protect everybody else. The Department of Health is working on proposals that will be shared with my Department once they are finalised and we will respond as quickly as we can. The general public service sick pay scheme continues in operation. There are other categories of people who suffer from conditions and are availing of that scheme, as opposed to special leave with pay, because of when they contracted that condition. I am alert and aware of the issue. The Department of Health is working on proposals at this time. Those proposals will come to us and I will then respond as quickly as I can.

See this speech in context