Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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487. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the bonus payment to front-line health workers; and the progress made with regard to determining eligibility. [12372/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Firstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.

The Government announced a COVID-19 recognition payment for frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. The payment of €1,000 will not be subject to income tax, USC, or PRSI. The measure will be ring fenced to staff ordinarily onsite in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments within the period between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2021.

Those public sector frontline healthcare workers eligible for the payment will be directly employed public health sector staff working in clinical settings. A pro-rata arrangement will apply for eligible part time staff / equivalents and supernumerary students who were required to perform training in clinical sites. The Department of Health will also introduce a measure for making a similar payment to staff in private sector nursing homes and hospices (eg: nursing homes and hospices that are private, public, section 39, voluntary etc.) that were affected by Covid-19.

The Department and the HSE are currently consulting with health sector trade unions. This consultation is part of the Department and HSE’s objective to finalise the application of this measure fairly. Upon conclusion of consultations with the trade unions, full details of the application process, FAQs and other particulars shall be published by the HSE. It is intended that payments will be instructed this month, with the payment processed through local payroll thereafter.

For healthcare workers in private nursing homes and hospices, arrangements for this sector encompassed by this measure are currently being progressed by the Department of Health. As the HSE is not the employer in these instances, the arrangements including payment dates will require further analysis before finalising but it is envisaged that payments will be instructed for these workers in Q2 2022.