Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is a very welcome development. I want to raise a related matter which was raised on Committee Stage last week in the general discussion on this section. It directly relates to the recognition of the service of those who worked within our public health service, on the front line, during the darkest days of the pandemic - the people who put themselves in danger. They are non-HSE staff engaged by the HSE for contracted services such as contract cleaning, security and other ancillary services in our public hospitals, and they have yet to receive the €1,000 pandemic recognition payment. It is unconscionable that they continue to wait for approval from the Department of Health for a payment for which they are eligible. I hope the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has spoken to the Minister for Health in this regard. It is an issue that was raised by several members at the committee last week. It is important that this gets resolved before Christmas. These people have waited far too long for a payment for which they are eligible.

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