Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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170. To ask the Minister for Health her views on the ongoing calls for the State to recognise long-Covid as an occupational illness in line with other EU member states. [60265/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The eligibility criteria set when the Special Scheme was first introduced were designed to ensure that employees supported by the Special Scheme included those working in a COVID exposed environment in the period before PPE and vaccinations were readily available, and before community transmission became more prevalent.

Further to this, the Minister for Social Protection has reviewed the EU recommendation in respect of the recognition of Covid (not long Covid) as an occupational illness, and has determined that Covid does not meet the criteria required for recognition in respect of the Social Welfare Acts.