Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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446. To ask the Minister for Health if provisions have been made to ensure that non-HSE staff, including agency staff and section 39 workers working in public hospitals, receive the same emergency leave for instances of being unable to attend work due to recent adverse weather conditions; if so, the provisions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11899/18]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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490. To ask the Minister for Health if health care workers who could not attend for work during the recent severe weather at Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin 6, will receive emergency leave with pay and will not have to make up time as per his commitment to health care workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12127/18]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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518. To ask the Minister for Health if the agreement between a service (details supplied) and its staff on payment for time taken during Storm Emma will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12235/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 446, 490 and 518 together.

Agency staff and staff of organisations funded by the HSE under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004 are not public servants and are not employees of the HSE. 

Arrangements for such staff would be a matter for the management of the relevant employment agencies or Section 39 organisations.

In general, there is no statutory entitlement for an employee to be paid where they cannot attend for work because of extreme weather.  Any more beneficial arrangement would be a matter for agreement between the employer and the employee.  But equally, I would encourage employers to take a long-term view of the working relationship.