Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Public Health Act (Infectious Diseases) Regulations, all infectious diseases are reportable to the Public Health Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting system (CIDR). The infectious disease, COVID-19 was included under the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No.53 of 2020) on the 28 February 2020.

In addition, to the reporting requirements under these regulations there is a second reporting system under the National Incident Management System (NIMs) which collects national data of incidents of COVID-19 in the public healthcare sector in Ireland. These reporting systems are an important source of information in identifying prevalence and trends, monitoring progress, and informing interventions.

Following the transposition of the EU Biological Agent Directive into the Biological Agents Regulations (S.I. 539 of 2020) and its associated Code of Practice, employers are required to report to the Authority, cases of COVID-19 workplace disease or death resulting from occupational exposure to SARs-CoV-2.

A proposal for a scheme for public health service employees who remain absent from the workplace re long-Covid has been prepared and provided to the staff representative bodies in respect of Paid Leave for Public Health Service Employees unfit for work post COVID-19 infection.

An offer of direct engagement on this between the management side and the health sector staff representative bodies has been made, which I hope can be concluded quickly.

It would be inappropriate to make any further statement on the matter until that engagement is concluded.