Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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709. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will confirm that her Department will give serious consideration to recognising Covid-19 as an occupational disease in health and social care and in domiciliary assistance and, in a pandemic context, in sectors where there is an outbreak in activities with proven risk of infection as advocated by the EU Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55272/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Covid-19 does not constitute a prescribed disease or illness as set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as it does not meet the criteria laid down in the Act. Section 87 (2) of the Act states that a disease or injury shall be prescribed for the purposes of this section in relation to any insured persons, where the Minister is satisfied that—

(a) it ought to be treated, having regard to its causes and any other relevant considerations, as a risk of their occupations and not as a risk common to all persons, and

(b) it is such that, in the absence of special circumstances, the attribution of particular cases to the nature of the employment can be established or presumed with reasonable certainty.

My Department is aware of the work of the EU Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (ACSH) regarding the recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational disease. Under the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027, the European Commission committed to updating their Recommendations on Occupational Diseases by the end of this year in order to include COVID-19. The Department is monitoring the European Commission's work and recommendations in this regard.

My Department reviews its supports and schemes regularly to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives. Any changes to the current system would need to be considered in an overall policy, legislative and budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.