Mairéad Farrell
Ceist:1. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the progress that has been made to date with the roll-out of the pandemic bonus for front-line staff. [2513/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 20 January 2022
Ceisteanna (1)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
Yesterday, we had the welcome announcement of the long-awaited front-line bonus and after many suggestions and promises from various Cabinet colleagues, we saw the exclusion of certain workers from this. One of the reasons for this, which the Tánaiste mentioned yesterday, was that many of those excluded would benefit from the additional bank holiday. I will tell the Minister who will not benefit from an additional bank holiday: the thousands of carers in this State who do not get a day off. Will the Minister explain why he excluded carers from receiving this bonus?
The Government acknowledges the contribution of our front-line healthcare workers and all workers across the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have faced difficult challenges and have risen to the task. As a Government, we have on many occasions stated our commitment to recognise these efforts. There were a number of issues that had to be taken into consideration before we could finalise our proposals and the pandemic has remained an ongoing challenge for us all, requiring our full focus and attention. We gave detailed consideration to these matters and yesterday the Cabinet approved the package of measures to recognise these efforts and to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Working together has been a key element of the Government’s approach to the pandemic to date and this is reflected in the approach announced yesterday. In particular, the value of the contribution of our healthcare workers on the front line cannot be overstated. The Deputy will be familiar with the measures we have introduced, including a public holiday on 18 March 2022 and then an annual public holiday on the first Monday of every February, or if 1 February falls on a Friday it will be held on that day; a tax free recognition payment of €1,000 for a range of workers, including public service health and ambulance workers who were working on-site in Covid-19 exposed environments, those seconded or assigned to the HSE, for example, our Defence Forces staff who were assigned to HSE testing centres, students who were required to perform training in clinical sites, and staff working on-site in private-sector nursing homes and hospices that were affected by Covid-19.
The Government recognises the immense work of so many people across different sectors of our economy and, indeed, of volunteers as well. In arriving at a conclusion on this issue, we felt the need to prioritise the front-line public health workers, in particular, who left their home and went to work in a high-risk environment at a time, particularly at the start of the pandemic, when the risks were unknown and thought to be really significant. That is why we singled out that group for this recognition payment.
Carers lost everything during the pandemic. They lost their day services and respite, including their unofficial respite in the form of help from grandparents and other family members when we were all told to isolate, keep apart and stay in our homes. As for the parents of children in special schools, even those schools for children with severe to profound intellectual disabilities closed. For children and parents alike, their lifeline was gone. The workload of family carers increased monumentally overnight with no time to prepare. They were on the front line of this pandemic. Let us be frank, we all relied on their work. Without this and the Government being able to rely on the phenomenal work of carers, the Government would have been in a real predicament. I simply cannot understand how they have been left behind again.
The Government and I are enormously appreciative of the extraordinary work of the many thousands of carers throughout the country at all times and, in particular, over the course of the pandemic. As the Deputy will know, last year we increased the carer's support grant to €1,850. That was paid in June 2021. She will also know that in the budget, we made changes for the first time in a number of years in regard to the eligibility criteria for carer's allowance in relation to income and capital disregard. Those were long-called for and very welcome changes. We are committed, as the Deputy knows, through the work of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and her Department to examine the issue of pension rights and pension access for carers because we recognise the work they do is of enormous value. In addition, we significantly increased home support hours across society, and that will make a positive difference to the day-to-day lives of carers. We are determined to help them access those hours and to improve respite provision as well.
I am specifically asking the Minister why he decided to exclude carers from this bonus. We know there was a real-life impact on the lives of family carers. Many carers approached me, as I am sure they did the Minister, during the course of the pandemic to explain just how difficult the loss of services had been for them and not only how hard it was for them then but how it has had a long-term impact on them. Carers told me of the severe sleep disruption experienced by those who they care for and how at some points the entire family functioned on almost no sleep or very little sleep. They told me how the lack of services caused significant emotional distress and frustration for some of the most vulnerable in our society with some injuring themselves and others doing so accidentally by sheer frustration. This was a daily life faced by many carers during the many months of lockdown. I am at a loss as to why carers have been excluded.
The truth is that if the Government were to seek to meet all the legitimate calls that have been made to extend this pandemic payment, the cost of it would become very large. One could potentially be talking about €500 million or more. That is the truth if we were to include the full range of workers that have been suggested the Government include. Unfortunately, that is simply not possible. We would all love to extend this payment to a wide range of workers and volunteers without whom our experience of Covid would have been much worse. I do not need to remind the Deputy of her party's pre-budget submission. It suggested that there be a €200 payment to every person in the country and it called on the Government to engage in a spirit of generosity with front-line healthcare workers. That is what the Government has done. That is what Sinn Féin called for. We believe the package we have brought forward is fair, balanced and proportionate. I will not deny that there is of course an affordability issue, as there always is when it comes to public expenditure.