Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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1087. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider extending the €1,000 Covid bonus payment to nurses, health and social care workers in the Intellectual Disability Service that worked in the community during the height of Covid and were required to work long shifts and were exposed to the same daily risk as hospital staff, and if not, the reason therefor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15023/22]

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 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 measure also encompasses those eligible frontline healthcare workers working on site in long term residential care facilities for people with disabilities (inclusive of those facilities whether HSE or section 39).

It is important for the Deputy to note that eligibility will be subject to a number of factors and not solely based on an individual healthcare service/organisation. The Department of Health appreciates the levels of interest this announcement has generated. We are working together with the HSE to provide additional details on this measure including full eligibility criteria, particulars and terms and conditions that apply. This will be published as soon as possible.