Workers across the economy, including of course our public servants, have made an extraordinary contribution during the COVID pandemic and I would like to pay tribute to them.
Notwithstanding the sacrifices and efforts of the last year or more and the progress we have made in recent months to roll out vaccines, this pandemic remains an ongoing challenge for us all and it continues, for now, to require our full focus and attention.
Accordingly, while this is not yet, I believe, the most appropriate time to deal with this matter, the Government will consider in due course how best to recognise the efforts made by workers during this pandemic.