Written answers
Tuesday, 12 December 2023
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Covid-19 Pandemic
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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288. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to EU Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/2337 of 28 November 2022 concerning the European schedule of occupational diseases if he has responded to the request set out in article 4 on Covid-19 caused by work in disease prevention, in health and social care and in domiciliary assistance, or, in a pandemic context; if he will publish a copy of this response; if these provisions also pertain to those who have not recovered following a Covid-19 related illness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54658/23]
Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The application, in Ireland, of the provisions of EU Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/2337 of 28 November 2022, concerning the addition of COVID-19 to the list of diseases included in the European schedule of occupational diseases, as well as the addition of COVID-19 to the infectious diseases lists for the purposes of receiving occupational illness benefit (OIB) are matters for my colleagues the Ministers for Health and Social Protection, respectively.
Therefore, the provision of specific information under Article 4 of the Recommendation to the European Commission on the inclusion of COVID-19 on the schedule of occupational diseases in Ireland is not a matter for my Department nor the Health and Safety Authority which operates under the aegis of my Department.
Separately, it should be noted that in 2020 the existing 2013 Biological Agents Code of Practice, made under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, was revoked and replaced by the Code of Practice for the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulations 2013 and 2020. Under Regulation 12(5) of these Regulations, it is a requirement for an employer who becomes aware of, or a registered medical practitioner (including a responsible medical practitioner) who diagnoses, a case of disease or death of an employee resulting from direct occupational exposure to a biological agent, including COVID-19, to notify the Health and Safety Authority.
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