Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. It is positive that 124,000 people have been paid in recognition of the tremendous work that they did during the pandemic. It is not an understatement to say that many of us owe our lives or the lives of family members and friends to the work that was carried out by those organisations. I am glad that the Minister is progressing the payment for the other front-line emergency services workers who worked so hard and such long hours during the pandemic.

With regard to eligibility, is it up to the individual who works in an organisation to apply to say that he or she meets the criteria? I am aware that within an organisation there may have been people who were working in certain environments where they feel that they did meet the criteria and maybe some in the organisation who were not in situations that meet the criteria. Is it up to the individual or the parent body to make the application on his or her behalf?

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