Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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131. To ask the Minister for Health if he will list all of the eligible categories of workers for the pandemic special recognition payment. [46225/22]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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132. To ask the Minister for Health the reason that firefighters and paramedics with Dublin Fire Brigade have not received the pandemic special recognition payment despite providing front-line ambulance services during the crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46226/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together.

The Government decision on the Pandemic Recognition Payment provides, subject at all times to the other eligibility criteria as set out on the HSE website www.hse.ie/eng/staff/resources/hr-circulars/hr-circular-012-2022-pandemic-special-recognition-payment.html, that eligible staff within the following are covered for the Pandemic Recognition Payment:

1. HSE and Section 38 organisations;

2. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary, Section 39 etc.);

3. Eligible staff working on-site in Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities;

4. Agency roles working in the HSE;

5. Health Care Support Assistants (also known as home help / home care / home support) contracted to the HSE;

6. Members of the Defence Forces redeployed to work in front-line Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;

7. Paramedic staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.

For eligible staff in cohort 7 above, the Department and the HSE are engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to progress payments as soon as possible. There are complexities associated with redeployed staff, and it is important to ensure that the eligibility criteria are applied correctly. However, my Department is keen that payments to eligible staff will be made as soon as possible.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Health when firefighters and members of Dublin Fire Brigade will receive their pandemic special recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46230/22]

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 HSE and the Department have been examining progressing the rollout of the Pandemic Recognition Payment to the list of 6 non-HSE/non-Section 38 organisation types covered by the Government Decision. This measure will be ring fenced to staff working ordinarily onsite in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments. This shall cover eligible staff in:

1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary, Section 39 etc.);

2. Eligible staff working on-site in Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities;

3. Agency roles working in the HSE;

4. Health Care Support Assistants (also known as home help / home care / home support) contracted to the HSE;

5. Members of the Defence Forces redeployed to work in front-line Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE; 

6. Paramedics employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE. 

In relation to eligible staff in cohorts 1-4 above, it is hoped that information will be published shortly for those employees that are covered by the Government Decision and the process available to their employers to implement this measure for their eligible staff. Once this process is published, the Department is keen that payments to eligible workers will be made as soon as possible thereafter.

With regard to eligible staff in cohorts 5 and 6, the Department of Health is engaging with the Department of Defence, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to progress payments to these cohorts as soon as possible.