Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste told a meeting of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment this morning that the introduction of statutory sick pay has been delayed by 12 weeks to January 2023. The Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit of €350 was, however, abolished last Friday and is, therefore, back to a payment of €208 a week. Does the Taoiseach agree that the abolition of the Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit should have been delayed until statutory sick pay was ready to be introduced, especially as we are now facing into another wave of Covid-19 and there is a three-month gap between the end of the Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit and the introduction of statutory sick pay?

This will mean that many people will feel forced through economic necessity to go to work while infected with Covid-19 this winter, making the next wave and the impact on hospitals at the busiest time of year much worse than it would otherwise have been. It is the worst type of stupid penny-pinching that will end up creating greater costs for the health service and for people’s health.

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