Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 September 2022
538. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of care workers in both the voluntary and private care sectors yet to receive the pandemic bonus payment for front-line workers; when such outstanding payments will be made; the reason for any delays in payments being made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47088/22]
View answerFirstly, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.
The vast majority of eligible HSE and Section 38 staff have received the Pandemic Recognition Payment, with approximately 123,549 such staff having received the payment by 16th September 2022.
The HSE and the Department have been examining progressing the rollout of the Pandemic Recognition Payment to the list of 6 non-HSE/non-Section 38 organisation types covered by the Government Decision. This measure will be ring fenced to staff working ordinarily onsite in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments. This shall cover eligible staff in:
1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary, Section 39 etc.);
2. Eligible staff working on-site in Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities;
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 front-line Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;
6. Paramedics employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.
It is hoped that information will be published shortly for those certain non-HSE/non-Section 38 healthcare employees that are covered by the Government Decision and the process available to their employers to implement this measure for their eligible staff.
Rolling out the payment to eligible employees of these non-HSE/Section 38 organisations is a complex task, particularly as these employees are not normally paid by the public health service, duplicate payments need to be avoided, and there are many organisations to be covered, but this work is being given priority attention. As the rollout of payments to the eligible workers in non-HSE/non-Section 38 organisations has not yet begun, and eligibility has not yet been assessed across the private sector, it would be premature, at this point, to provide an estimated number of workers who will be eligible for the payment.
Once the process for rolling out payments is published, the Department is keen that payments to eligible workers will be made as soon as possible thereafter.
