2026-03-26

Deputy Paul Murphy is down to share with Deputy Quaide, who has not arrived. The floor is his.

Deputy Quaide sends apologies. He was able to make it on Tuesday but not when it was rescheduled. He has been raising this issue consistently so I thank him. We all clapped in this Chamber, or perhaps it was in the convention centre, for our healthcare workers. I recall going outside my house, like people all across the country, to clap for our healthcare workers and thank them for standing on the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic, for putting their own health at risk for the rest of us and telling them we had their backs. However, it turns out we did not have their backs. Those workers are being abandoned by the Government. It is absolutely shameful. Healthcare workers got Covid and then long Covid, likely because of the work they were doing. They have had serious impacts on their health, which I will go into, and have been abandoned by the Government. The special payments they were on were discontinued in December. They are now on standard public service leave, which gives them full pay for three months and in April, their payments will be halved. They will be left unable to pay their mortgages and their basic bills because the Government refuses to recognise long Covid and Covid as occupational illnesses. That is the answer here. If nurses were to get hepatitis or HIV as a result of their work, they would go on the occupational illness scheme. That is what should be happening to those healthcare workers who got long Covid. I will give some testimony from a woman, Fiona, who was in touch with me. She is a healthcare worker who has long Covid. She said: I can not put into words how debilitating Long Covid is. I will be sick 5 yrs come January. 3 ... friends will be sick 6 years come March. My life as my knew it has changed dramatically. My career and health is now in ruins. I suffer from severe debilitating fatigue. Some days it is choosing between going for shower or cooking dinner as well as fatigue I have tachycardia, brain fog, joint pain, muscular pain ,nerve pain, shortness of breath,headaches, nausea [and] vomiting, recurring mouth ulcers and tinnitus. I am doing my best to recover but unfortunately I'm not there yet so I need my pay protected till I am able to return. As well as being physically unable the brain fog a huge barrier. Right now I couldn't provide safe care to patients. As nurses we are accountable for our practice. If I return to work and made a error or omission that caused harm to a patient that would be entirely on me. And I dont think anyone wants a nurse with brain fog looking after them! I have dealt with a number of people and campaigned on the issue of long Covid in general as well as on the issue of occupational illness. It obviously has a hugely debilitaring impact on people. The costs are immense. Again, to quote Fiona, she said: "I travel to Dublin from Cork every 6 months to see Prof Lambert. All these appointments are between €200 - €250. I am grateful I have health insurance but all these consultant fees add up.My monthly meds are €80 every month. I'm very grateful though the DPS cover all my meds so there capped at €80. Gp visits are up to €75 a visit." What are these people supposed to do? What is the idea here? Is the Government trying to force people who are still very sick to go back to work when they are incapable of working and when, as Fiona pointed out, they could make mistakes in their work as a consequence of that illness, due to brain fog in particular, which would have negative consequences for patients? Does it want to force them to live in poverty by not providing them with a living income? We should remember all the thanks we had for healthcare workers and all the sacrifices they made for keeping our health service afloat, and support them by the simple measure that is in most European countries of recognising Covid and long Covid as an occupational illness. Why does the Government not agree to do that?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Health. It is great to get an opportunity to provide an update and acknowledge the extraordinary role played by healthcare workers in protecting us during the pandemic. In recognition of those exceptional circumstances, a special scheme was introduced in July 2022 to support eligible public health sector staff who developed long Covid. This was a temporary and exceptional measure, unique to the health sector, designed to acknowledge the particular risks faced by staff working in high-exposure environments before PPE, vaccination and widespread community transmission were established. While the scheme was extended on several occasions at the request of the Minister for Health, the Labour Court recommended a final extension in June 2025 and the scheme concluded on 31 December 2025. By that point, employees remaining on the scheme had received support at full pay for almost five years through a combination of special leave with pay and the special scheme itself. Importantly, and I want to be very clear on this point, the conclusion of the special scheme does not mean that supports have ended. Staff who remain unfit to return to work have moved into the public service sick leave scheme, ensuring continuity of both care and financial protection. Since the conclusion of the special scheme, 104 employees have transitioned to the public service sick leave scheme, while a further 57 have returned to work, including through phased return arrangements. Under the public service sick leave scheme, staff may receive full pay for three months, followed by half pay for a further three months. They then have the option to apply for temporary rehabilitative remuneration, which can provide up to an additional 547 days of paid leave. In addition, the critical illness protocol may provide supports for up to three years, where the relevant criteria are met. Beyond financial supports, staff are also entitled to reasonable workplace accommodations to assist with their return to work. This may include modified duties or adjusted working patterns during rehabilitation. These measures are intended to ensure that staff are supported, not only financially but also in practical terms, as they recover and reintegrate into the workplace. All illnesses are treated equally under the public service sick leave regulations. This equity is a fundamental part of the public service sick leave scheme and avoids any perception that one illness or condition is more serious than others. The Minister for Social Protection has responsibility for these regulations and schemes. He has reviewed the EU recommendation on recognising Covid-19 as an occupational illness and has determined that it does not meet the criteria required for recognition under the social welfare Acts. While many other countries did recognise Covid-19 as an occupational illness, this related to Covid-19 itself rather than long Covid. From the information available, it is not clear that any country provided sustained full-pay supports for long Covid comparable to Ireland’s special scheme. While many staff members have already returned to work, the Minister is conscious that others continue to face difficulties. As such, she will meet with the Minister for Social Protection with a view to exploring what supports, if any, may be accessed by those facing long-term challenges in returning to work.

The Minister responded by saying that this does not mean the Government will not support workers. He said that staff may receive full pay for three months, which is correct but we are coming to the end of that, followed by half pay for a further three months. People have their childcare bills, their mortgages and the costs of just existing in this cost-of-living crisis. They have a lifestyle based on their pay and will not be able to survive based on half pay. The Minister went on to say that they have the option to apply for temporary rehabilitative remuneration. That is capped at 37.5% of salary. You go from full pay to half pay and then down to just slightly more than a third of pay. There was a reference to the critical illness protocol, which "may provide supports for up to three years, where the relevant criteria are met." The problem is that many healthcare workers have been turned down for the critical illness protocol, with the HSE citing that long Covid does not meet the criteria. The employer needs to approve it. It can be dressed up in whatever way the Government wants but by shutting down the special scheme and not doing the long-term solution, which is making long Covid an occupational illness, it is throwing these workers who were on the front line, whose health was sacrificed for all our benefit and who put themselves at risk, to the wolves. We really are putting them in an awful situation. On the rationale for not recognising long Covid as an occupational illness, it seems the Government makes a distinction between Covid and long Covid. The reason people have long Covid, however, is they got Covid, likely in the workplace. All illnesses are not treated equally. We have an occupational illness scheme that is different. As I said, if you contract HIV or hepatitis as a result of your work, you are treated in a certain way, as these are occupational illnesses. Long Covid should be treated the same.

I acknowledge the extraordinary service of our healthcare workers during the pandemic. The temporary special scheme for long Covid was an exceptional measure that was introduced in recognition of the unique risk faced by staff in those early days and uncertain times. It provided sustained support for nearly five years, which was a level of protection unmatched in any other sector. The Deputy is dressing this up in another way that is not reflective of the level of support that has been provided to date. Although the scheme has concluded, it is important to reiterate that staff will not be left without support. Those who remain unfit to work will transition into the public service sick leave scheme with continued access to a full range of supports, including temporary rehabilitation remuneration, the critical illness protocol and reasonable workplace accommodation. This approach ensures that there is fairness and equity across the public service and that we continue to provide meaningful and appropriate support for those affected. I want to reassure the Deputy and the House that the Department of Health will continue to work with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, in the Department of Social Protection and the HSE, staff representatives and those across Government to ensure those supports are delivered effectively and compassionately to those who are affected.