Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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 front-line public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic.

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. I can confirm that, subject to meeting all of the eligibility criteria, those eligible staff working in contractor roles in the above front-line settings are in scope for the payment.

The HSE and KOSI Corporation 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 to relevant organisations, and I am happy that payments are already rolling out to employers to pay their eligible staff.