Covid-19 Pandemic Supports
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-14
============================================================

Alan Dillon (FG), Mayo

Again, I wish to assure the Senator and the House that this issue continues to receive very careful and compassionate attention at the highest level of the Government. I welcome the Taoiseach’s engagement with the nursing unions. From discussions with the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, I know she is working closely with the Taoiseach’s office, the HSE and with staff representatives to monitor the position to ensure existing supports make an impact as extended but also to consider the further long-term responses that may be possible for those who are affected and that those who remain unable to return to work continue to have access to the full range of entitlements available to them and not just the public service sick leave scheme including paid sick leave, the temporary rehabilitation remuneration and, where criteria are met, the critical illness protocol. Discretion does need to be given to the HSE. I welcome the Taoiseach’s intervention in that regard.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

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