My request of the Taoiseach today is a positive one. Eighteen months ago, doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, laboratory scientists and multiple other workers across our hospitals and primary care system faced a nightmare scenario with regard to Covid-19. Our healthcare workers reported to the front line of the fight against Covid-19 with little or no personal protective equipment, PPE, at the start of it and they have delivered care for the Irish people through extremely difficult circumstances. In many cases, they had to self-isolate from their families and to pay car parking charges and childcare costs and, often, they did not see their families for weeks. This work brought additional cost on them but they kept turning up for work for our people and the country. As each day passes during this pandemic we become more grateful for the amazing work they have done.

We stood to our feet in this House to applaud our healthcare workers, while others did so from home. The State now needs to show gratitude in a meaningful way that will make an impact on their lives and show that we are truly grateful. In April 2020, I proposed that as a gesture the State would gift our healthcare workers a €1,000 pandemic payment to honour and recognise their work to slow the spread of the virus and to save many lives. Yesterday, workers in our health service, through the trade unions on the staff panel, the INMO, SIPTU, Fórsa, MLSA, Connect and Unite met collectively with the HSE and the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, to discuss a bonus payment for healthcare workers. They are seeking special recognition of their response to the virus. I do not think it can be denied. However, the State is showing a complete lack of flexibility and humility to our healthcare workers. It is denying them a pandemic bonus and additional leave to take account of the extra work they took on last year. This bonus would help them to deal with the huge extra costs they incurred, particularly in the first four to five months of this pandemic.

We call them healthcare heroes often, which is truly what they are, but tokenism is not enough. We need to demonstrate that financially and-or through additional leave. We need to show them how appreciative we are. In February last, the Tánaiste suggested that they be given a cash payment or additional leave. Does the Taoiseach agree that the payment is just and needs to be addressed? Will the Government table a proposal to compensate the healthcare workers? I do not believe the HSE, at managerial or board level, is against such a proposal. Will the Government give it a mandate to engage with the workers and the unions to negotiate such a proposal? As we are approaching the summer break next week, I ask that the Taoiseach would give us some positive on this matter.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. He has been consistently raising it in the House. I agree entirely that workers across the economy, and without question our public servants and front-line healthcare workers, have made an extraordinary contribution to helping society deal with an unprecedented pandemic which has turned upside down all of our lives. Without front-line healthcare workers we would have been in extreme difficulty in meeting and dealing with the challenge of the pandemic. The sense of community and solidarity in this country as we continue to fight Covid is truly remarkable. We must continue in that way. Front-line workers in particular put their lives at risk. Many were infected with Covid and, as we know, some staff lost their lives. Others are suffering from long Covid. This reminds us of the need to be ever-vigilant in terms of keeping numbers down. We all recall last January and February and the extraordinary pressures on our front-line healthcare workers because of the dramatic rise in Covid cases and hospitalisations. On top of that - this has to be acknowledged - the HSE took a body blow from the cyberattack which just as we were emerging from that wave of Covid placed significant pressures on staff at all levels within our health services.

The Government understands and recognises the issue. Across Departments civil servants have been under a lot of pressure and they may have made many personal sacrifices over the past 16 months and continue to do so. The pandemic remains a constant challenge to us all and still requires our full focus and attention. We are not out of the woods yet. We have a journey to go, but we are getting there. Government is committed to recognising the sacrifices that public sector workers made. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, has been assessing the situation in terms of the European experience and the balance as outlined by Deputy Kelly in terms of monetary award and annual leave. How we recognise the efforts made by workers, in particular front-line healthcare workers, during this pandemic is being actively considered. As stated by the Deputy a claim on behalf of all public health service workers is before the WRC. We will give that active consideration, as the way to do this. I take on board the points made by the Deputy.

I genuinely accept what the Taoiseach says, but the time for platitudes is over. I know a couple who are working in the healthcare service and have a number of children. Childcare cost them thousands of euro, even with family help and a discount. I know of a nurse who was clamped multiple times and whose neighbours volunteered to pay the fines for her. I could tell the Taoiseach stories all day about the people who have made great sacrifices working in healthcare, but it cost them money. It has cost them financially and they have saved lives. As the Taoiseach outlined, they put their lives at risk.

Countries across the world have given a financial bonus to workers. France has given an average €183 per month pay rise to healthcare workers, and NHS workers in Scotland received a £500 bonus. In Canada, front-line workers received a $1,200 bonus. In real terms, will the Taoiseach undertake on the floor of the Dáil today to ensure that the Department of Health will work with the HSE over the coming weeks to deliver a real statement of respect to these workers? The buck stops with the Government, not the HSE.

Thank you, Deputy.

If the Government gives the HSE the capacity to do this, it will do it. Will you please do that? At this stage, we have to acknowledge the work and efforts of all these workers. I am sorry, but platitudes do not work anymore. They do not show respect.

As I said to the Deputy, the Government is committed to recognising the sacrifices that public sector workers, in particular front-line healthcare workers, have made. We are very conscious that across the board extraordinary efforts were made and continue to be made in respect of dealing with the pandemic by workers.

The Government is actively examining this. We want to get the right outcome. The Deputy is correct in saying that it is a Government decision. The Government has to empower the HSE and to give it the resources to enable these decisions-----

It had no power yesterday.

-----and others to be taken.

The HSE said yesterday that it was not even in a position to engage.