Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1034. To ask the Minister for Health when front-line workers will receive the payment given that on his visit to Galway on 21 October 2022, he stated that contract services front-line workers who worked in hospital settings should receive the Covid-19 pandemic recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54636/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Firstly I would like to thank all healthcare workers for their extraordinary efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government announced a COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for certain frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. To date, over 124,000 workers have received the payment, and payments to eligible HSE and Section 38 staff are substantially complete.

Certain non-HSE/Section 38 healthcare employees are also covered by the Government Decision. These include 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 HSE and KOSI Corp are currently progressing the rollout to eligible staff in cohorts 1-4 above. Information on the process involved has now been provided by the HSE and KOSI Corp to relevant organisations. 

The Department of Health has transferred funding to the Department of Defence and Dublin City Council to enable payments to eligible staff in cohorts 5 and 6 above, and payments to these staff will be arranged by their respective organisations.