Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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903. To ask the Minister for Health the date his Department intends to issue the €1,000 Covid-19 pandemic bonus payment to section 39 agency staff (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54110/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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904. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an updated timeline for the delivery of the Covid-19 recognition payment for front-line healthcare workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54111/22]

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 are currently examining progressing the rollout 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.  

It is hoped that information will be published shortly for those certain non-HSE/Section 38 healthcare employees that are covered by the Government Decision and the process available to their employers to implement this measure for their eligible staff. 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 frontline Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;  

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

The above 6 areas only are covered by this Government Decision and all eligible workers will be paid in accordance with the overarching eligibility criteria in place.  

Rolling out the payment to eligible employees of those specific non-HSE/Section 38 organisations covered by the government decision is a complex task, particularly as these employees are not normally paid by the public health service, duplicate payments need to be avoided, and there are many organisations to be covered.

Please be assured that work on rolling out payment to non-HSE/Section 38 organisations is being prioritised and while the rollout of payments to the eligible workers in these organisations is hoped to begin shortly, it is not possible to comment on when payment will be received.