Covid-19 Pandemic Supports
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-14
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Joe O'Reilly (FG), Labour Panel

I appreciate the Minister of State’s last remarks. I am a natural optimist and believe in a half-full glass rather than one that is half empty so I will interpret some of the coded language as suggesting that something may be done about this. In case I am wrongly interpreting it, it would be shocking if it is not. I want to make that clear. I have no ambiguity about this. It is our duty as public representatives to say what should be said. The truth is that anyone still genuinely suffering long Covid should not be stopped on 1 June from receiving full sick pay as was. I accept good supports were there but the supports for that relatively small number of people, all of them great professionals and all sending out signals to others, should continue and there should be no change in their position until they recover.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:57+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-14