Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1088. To ask the Minister for Health if he will reconsider the previous position to exclude staff of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service from the pandemic bonus payment, given the essential service they provided throughout the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44263/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In January 2022 the Government announced a once-off, ex-gratia COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for certain frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic.

Eligibility criteria for the payment were set following significant consideration and consultation. As these were agreed, they cannot be changed. I can confirm that in order to receive the recognition payment, staff must have:

• Been in COVID vaccination cohorts 1 or 2, and

• Worked ordinarily onsite in a COVID-19 exposed healthcare environment, and

• Worked for at least 4 weeks in the 1/3/2020 – 30/6/2021 period, and

• Worked in a HSE/Section 38 organisation, or one of the following:

1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary,Section 39 etc.);

2. Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities, working on-site;

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. Paramedic staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.

Only those staff who met all the above eligibility criteria were covered for this payment. I appreciate that many other workers, volunteers, and other citizens provided very important services during the pandemic.

It was a hard task to set out the eligibility criteria for this payment, but the Government based its decision on certain aspects of all the different roles within the Healthcare sector and certain risks which eligible frontline workers faced. Undoubtedly Immense efforts have been made by all healthcare staff since the onset of the pandemic which has not gone unrecognised.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1089. To ask the Minister for Health if the decision of the WRC to award the pandemic bonus payment to a HSE worker who had been previously deemed ineligible has led to other workers in the same category being awarded that payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44264/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In January 2022 the Government announced a once-off, ex-gratia COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for certain frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic.

Eligibility criteria for the payment were set following significant consideration and consultation. As these were agreed, they cannot be changed. I can confirm that in order to receive the recognition payment, staff must have:

• Been in COVID vaccination cohorts 1 or 2, and

• Worked ordinarily onsite in a COVID-19 exposed healthcare environment, and

• Worked for at least 4 weeks in the 1/3/2020 – 30/6/2021 period, and

• Worked in a HSE/Section 38 organisation, or one of the following:

1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary,Section 39 etc.);

2. Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities, working on-site;

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. Paramedic staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.

Only those staff who met all the above eligibility criteria were covered for this payment. I appreciate that many other workers, volunteers, and other citizens provided very important services during the pandemic.

It was a hard task to set out the eligibility criteria for this payment, but the Government based its decision on certain aspects of all the different roles within the Healthcare sector and certain risks which eligible frontline workers faced. Undoubtedly Immense efforts have been made by all healthcare staff since the onset of the pandemic which has not gone unrecognised.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1090. To ask the Minister for Health if he will analyse the decision of the WRC to award the pandemic bonus payment to a HSE worker who had been previously deemed ineligible to give consideration to the previous decision to exclude staff of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service from the pandemic bonus payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44265/24]

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

In January 2022 the Government announced a once-off, ex-gratia COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for certain frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic.

Eligibility criteria for the payment were set following significant consideration and consultation. As these were agreed, they cannot be changed. I can confirm that in order to receive the recognition payment, staff must have:

• Been in COVID vaccination cohorts 1 or 2, and

• Worked ordinarily onsite in a COVID-19 exposed healthcare environment, and

• Worked for at least 4 weeks in the 1/3/2020 – 30/6/2021 period, and

• Worked in a HSE/Section 38 organisation, or one of the following:

1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary,Section 39 etc.);

2. Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities, working on-site;

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. Paramedic staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.

Only those staff who met all the above eligibility criteria were covered for this payment. I appreciate that many other workers, volunteers, and other citizens provided very important services during the pandemic.

It was a hard task to set out the eligibility criteria for this payment, but the Government based its decision on certain aspects of all the different roles within the Healthcare sector and certain risks which eligible frontline workers faced. Undoubtedly Immense efforts have been made by all healthcare staff since the onset of the pandemic which has not gone unrecognised.