Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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827. To ask the Minister for Health in view of the comments made by the Minister for Social Protection at the Oireachtas Select Committee on Social Protection on 1 February 2023 (details supplied), if the views of his Department have been provided to the Department of Social Protection regarding the recognition of long Covid as an occupational illness; if not, the reason therefore in light of the fact that a failure to act in this regard is leaving long-covid sufferers who contracted covid while working on the front line during the pandemic, in unacceptable limbo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7263/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Advisory Committee on Health & Safety have recently recommended the recognition of Covid as an occupational illness in health and social care, however Member States vary in respect of their treatment of Covid in this regard.

In Ireland, Special Leave with Pay (SLWP) is available for the recommended isolation period, for civil and public servants nationally who contract Covid. SLWP provides for paid leave, including full pay, any fixed allowances payable as well as premium payments.

For those who remain unfit to attend the workplace and are suffering from long-Covid, a temporary scheme, specific to the public health service has been developed to provide for Paid Leave for Public Health Service Employees unfit for work post Covid infection.

The HSE have issued the full details of the Scheme to all public health service employers by circular, and employees who meet the criteria for eligibility for the Scheme will have transferred to the new Scheme retrospectively from 1st July 2022.

I am advised by officials from the Department of Social Protection who operate the national Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, that Covid-19 does not constitute a prescribed disease or illness as set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 at present.

A letter has been received from Minister Humphries and the Minister and officials from Department of Health are reviewing the recognition of Long Covid as an occupational illness.