Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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81. To ask the Minister for Health the reason employees from an organisation (details supplied) and other section 39 organisation workers were excluded from the Covid-19 special recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52466/22]

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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Some workers in section 39 organisations were not included in the group receiving the special Covid-19 recognition payment. I realise the Minister has made statements previously on this issue. The group I am particularly inquiring about is Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, the staff of which worked in similar or the same conditions as those workers who were included in the payment. Will he clarify the rationale for why some groups had to be left out of the payment?

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. To recognise their unique role during the pandemic, the Government announced the recognition payment for eligible healthcare workers. Eligibility guidelines are required. Those guidelines, as they apply to the HSE and section 39 organisations, are on the HSE website. I am happy that more than 124,000 workers have been paid. We are fast-tracking those who remain to be paid, including workers in the Defence Forces, the fire brigade, prison nurses and others, the majority of whom are nursing home staff. I have engaged with the HSE and, in fairness to the executive, good progress is being made on that.

The other cohorts covered are agency workers within the HSE, healthcare support assistants contracted to the HSE, members of the Defence Forces deployed to the HSE and paramedic staff, as I mentioned earlier.

The Deputy raised a query relating to Acquired Brain Injury Ireland. It is not possible at this time to comment on individual cases but if workers meet the criteria as set out, they must and will be paid for that. If they do not meet the criteria, they will not be paid. He raised a good question as to why one group but not another, and why one group of healthcare professionals and not another. Those working in general practice, for example, were not covered and people reasonably asked the question on that. Ultimately, the Government had to set criteria. We expanded them quite significantly beyond what was envisaged. However, ultimately, there have to be some criteria around the payment. I hope that the workers to whom the Deputy referred meet the criteria. For those who do, I am in intensive engagement with the HSE at the moment about getting these remaining workers paid as quickly as possible.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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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?

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is being done organisation by organisation and, therefore, there is nothing that any individual has to do. The HSE is engaging directly with the section 39 organisations. It has service-level agreements in place with a great many of them. Through them, it is engaging with the organisations. The HSE is providing them with the criteria and identifying the organisations that qualify. Those organisations are then identifying the workers who qualify.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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I thank the Minister for the clarification. Essentially, this negotiation, as it were, it taking place between the HSE and those organisations. I might follow up this inquiry with the HSE directly just to support the particular worker to whom I referred. The case he has put to me seems to fit exactly with workers who were working in the exact same situation and are eligible for the payment. There are always demands on government. I understand that a line has to be drawn in respect of funding, criteria and eligibility. It is just that I have looked at this particular case, and I feel that the worker has a real case to make here, along with his colleagues who worked in the same environment. I am glad that the payments are being rolled out and that the Minister is following up on that, and that those who have not been paid so far will be paid in a timely manner. I will follow up with the HSE directly on behalf of this constituent.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge that when we are trying to make a payment, which is a €1,000 tax-free payment that does make a difference to people, there is no amount that could fully recognise the work that people have done. However, it is a recognition and it is good by international standards, compared to what other European countries have done. There is no doubt that there are going to be workers who do not meet the criteria as set out, but who deserve it. There is no doubt that there will be people who have actively helped patients and who, on an individual basis, we would say deserve the payment and if one group has got it, then this group deserves it as well. It would not be possible to design criteria to identify every worthy person. For example, many of the workers in general practice have a strong case, yet they were not included. The final thing I would say, and it is easy for me to say this, is that there is nothing preventing any employer from making a payment to their staff in recognition of the work they have done.