Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 September 2022
250. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the full-time patient-facing officers of Dublin Fire Brigade and its staff of ambulance personnel have not received the pandemic bonus payment from Dublin City Council; and if he and or his officials have engaged with officials at Dublin City Council and or the HSE in respect of issuing the payment. [46440/22]
View answerOn 19 January 2022, the Government announced a Covid-19 recognition payment for front-line healthcare workers to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. This once-off payment is ring fenced to staff who were ordinarily onsite in Covid-19-exposed healthcare environments within the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2021. It applies to eligible staff in the public health service and six other specific cohorts, one of which is staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver paramedic services on behalf of the Health Service Executive.
The payment of this recognition payment is ultimately a matter for the Department of Health; however, my Department, in conjunction with the Local Government Management Agency, is liaising with that Department to finalise the modalities of how this recognition payment is to be made to eligible staff as soon as possible.
