Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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429. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when she will make a decision on designating long-Covid as an occupational illness for frontline workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42828/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 424 and 429 together.

My Department is aware of the recommendation of the European Commission made in 2022 regarding the prescription of Covid-19 as an occupational illness. However, the decision on whether or not to recognise an illness as an occupational illness is a Member State competence. It should be noted that recognition confers very different entitlements in different countries.

It is important to state that the European Commission has not made a recommendation about recognising long-COVID as an occupational disease and most member states have not recognised long-COVID. The UK Department of Work and Pensions presented a report to the UK parliament in November 2022 which concluded that long-COVID should not be considered an occupational disease due to the lack of evidence and the evolving nature of the illness.

As this matter of recognising Covid-19 as an occupational disease has implications beyond my department, I am in consultation with other relevant departments and Ministers, and the responses received are under consideration.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.