2026-05-26

This is an issue which has been debated a number of times. Healthcare workers went above and beyond during the pandemic and put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. Well over 100 healthcare workers who have not returned to work due to long Covid have lost the special scheme since the beginning of the year and are due to lose further entitlements. I will read out part of a letter from a constituent who is a former front-line nurse with over 30 years’ experience. She said: Since my initial Covid-19 infection in January 2022, I have not recovered. If anything, my condition has worsened over time. I am living with debilitating symptoms that have profoundly impacted my ability to carry out even basic activities of daily living. My predominant symptoms include severe and persistent pain and stiffness affecting my shoulders, mid and lower back, buttocks, hips, thighs and extending into my legs, feet, hands and fingers. I experience constant pins and needles and burning sensations in my feet along with clearly altered sensation in both lower legs below the knee. These symptoms significantly impair my mobility and independence. I struggle to walk even short distances, have great difficulty dressing and showering and can only manage minimal household tasks due to severe pain when standing or bending. In addition, I suffer from shortness of breath, hypertension, tinnitus, brain fog, weakness in my hands and arms, dizziness, debilitating fatigue and severely disrupted sleep. Before my illness, I was a highly experienced nurse working at a senior level and fully committed to patient care. I remained in work throughout challenging periods in healthcare including the pandemic where many of us continued our duties despite personal risk. Like many healthcare workers, I contracted Covid-19 in the workplace while caring for others. I did so willingly as part of my professional responsibility. However, the long-term consequences of that exposure have been life changing. Since attending occupational health in early 2022, I have been deemed unfit for all duties. I have had to come to terms with the reality that this is now my life - one I would not have chosen, but one I continue to face with as much resilience as I can. On 24 March of this year, I underwent an occupational health assessment for early retirement on ill health grounds. My application was declined on the basis that there was insufficient medical evidence to confirm that I am likely to remain permanently unfit for work until my normal retirement age. This was despite submitting detailed medical reports. The loss of my career has had profound financial consequences but it has also deeply affected my sense of identity, purpose and independence. I am asking you to urgently consider the formal recognition of long Covid as an occupational illness for healthcare workers particularly nurses who contracted Covid-19 in the workplace. Such recognition would acknowledge the risks taken by front-line staff and provide a fair and structured pathway to appropriate supports and protections. If the Government is not prepared to recognise long Covid as an occupational illness, then I ask that you consider an alternative - allowing affected healthcare workers to access early retirement on the grounds of ill health without being subjected to prolonged and adversarial processes. Many of us are being forced to fight for recommendations from occupational health while already severely unwell. We are not physically or mentally able for this battle. After decades of service, we should not have to struggle to prove the impact of an illness acquired while caring for others. We should be allowed to retire on ill health grounds with dignity without having to fight tooth and nail for recognition or support. At present, the process itself can feel as burdensome as the illness. That letter speaks for itself. In his response, I ask the Minister of State to speak to the experience of that woman and the well over 100 of her colleagues who are suffering from really severe effects of this illness but are not getting the protection and supports they need and deserve.

I thank Deputy O'Hara for raising this important matter which I am taking on behalf of Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary. In responding to the question, I will first provide an overview of the occupational injuries benefit scheme and the supports available from the Department of Social Protection to people with long Covid. The occupational injuries benefit scheme is a group of benefits for insured workers if they are unfit for work either due to an accident arising out of and in the course of employment - at work or an accident while travelling, on a continuous journey, to or from work - or due to the contraction of a prescribed disease, due to the type of work they do and in the course of insurable employment. The two main payments under the scheme are injury benefit and disablement benefit. The scheme is financed from the Social Insurance Fund, which, in turn, is funded by PRSI contributions. Persons insured at PRSI classes A, B - limited coverage -, D, J and M - limited coverage - are covered. Claims for injury benefit are made by persons in a variety of employments and for a range of reasons, including injuries from falls, car accidents and the contraction of a prescribed disease. Injury benefit is paid at a weekly personal rate of €254 for a maximum period of six months. Disablement benefit may be paid where an insured employee suffers a loss of physical or mental faculty because of a work-related accident or disease. Payment is made where the level of disablement following the accident or disease is assessed at 15% or more. Payment may be in the form of a gratuity - a non-taxable lump sum - or by way of a weekly pension. The Department also has a range of income supports, including illness benefit and invalidity pension, at the same or higher rates of payment as payments under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, which are available to people who cannot work due to the effects of long Covid. I recognise the testimony the Deputy has given on behalf of, I presume, one of his constituents. In November 2022, the European Commission made a non-binding recommendation on the recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease. The Commission did not make a recommendation in relation to long Covid. The decision regarding recognition is a member state competence. Recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease confers different entitlements in different member states, with employers paying the compensation in some countries and social insurance systems paying in others. In November 2023, the Department of Social Protection published a report on the inclusion of long Covid in the occupational injuries benefit regulations. The report concluded that Covid-19 does not satisfy the statutory criteria for recognition as an occupational illness or accident at work. Specifically, it found that presumptions about workplace transmission would not be sustainable as it is not possible to establish with confidence that the disease has been contracted through a person's occupation and not through community transmission. This is because data shows that community transmission was the primary means of transmission. It is important to note that even if Ireland did recognise Covid-19 as an occupational disease, this would not encompass long Covid and would only apply to new claims for new cases of Covid-19. As such, it would not benefit those who contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic. As mentioned earlier, the Department's range of income supports, including illness benefit and invalidity pension, at the same or higher rates of payment as occupational injuries benefit, are available to people who cannot work due to the effects of long Covid. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not dependent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a working age person's capacity to work. With regard to additional supports, the Department also provides an additional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to help to meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. This includes certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary. With specific reference to workers in the health services, the report found that the temporary scheme of paid leave for public health service employees was the appropriate channel through which a targeted sectoral support should be considered. This temporary scheme was a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, who extended it a number of times. The scheme ended on 31 December 2025. Any employee of the public health service remaining unwell after that date may utilise the full provisions of the public service sick leave scheme which will provide further support.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. The people who are affected by this have had an absolutely horrendous experience with long Covid. The Minister of State heard about the impact it is having on my constituent. Her life has totally changed. Many people have had to give up the job they love. They stepped up during the pandemic at a time that was very dangerous. When there was huge uncertainty, they put themselves in harm's way to protect others. They are heroes and they deserve recognition and acknowledgement. According to the Minister of State's response - it has been said previously - the Department's view is that Covid-19 does not fulfil the definition of an occupational illness because the main area of transmission was in the community. That is a cruel approach because, as I said, these people put themselves into a really dangerous situation where their chances of contracting the disease were very high, and much higher than any other member of the public. That is a poor excuse and a little bit insulting to those workers. There has to be acknowledgement of the unique circumstances here and some arrangement put in place because the workers in this position are finding it difficult to access supports. They are finding it difficult. The woman I outlined earlier is finding it difficult in terms of having to battle to get the supports that she is entitled to. Recognising long Covid as an occupational illness would allow for them to receive ongoing financial supports without a specified expiry period. We are an outlier in Europe in this regard. As far as I know, it is just Ireland and Greece that do not recognise Covid. There has to be some arrangement put in place here, perhaps comprising the alternatives that were outlined earlier. I ask Government to reflect on its position in relation to this. It is not a very large group of people. It will not cost an absolute fortune but it is the right thing to do, as I say, for healthcare workers who went above and beyond to protect us all.

Once again, I thank Deputy O'Hara for raising this important matter. As I said, I am taking this matter on behalf of Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary. The Government and I recognise the great work of healthcare workers during Covid and, in fact, the continual great work of healthcare workers. As referenced in my opening statement on behalf of Deputy Calleary, the Minister for Social Protection, in November 2022 the European Commission made a non-binding recommendation on the recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease. The Commission did not make a recommendation in relation to long Covid. Recognition as an occupational disease confers different entitlements in different member states, with employers paying the compensation in some countries and social insurance systems paying in others. It is important to note that, even if Ireland did recognise Covid-19 as an occupational disease, this would not encompass long Covid and would only apply to new claims for new cases of Covid-19. As such, it would not benefit those who contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic. The Government acted early and without hesitation to support all workers who contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic. Workers outside the public sector could avail of an enhanced illness benefit payment and eligibility criteria were set to include the largest cohort of workers possible, including the self-employed. This scheme paid some 578,000 claims at a cost of €350 million. Special leave with pay for Covid-19 was also introduced for public sector workers. As mentioned earlier, the Department's range of income supports, including illness benefit and invalidity pension, at the same or higher rates of payment as payments under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, are available to people who cannot work due to the effects of long Covid.