I will raise the matter of the once-off tax free €1,000 bonus payment. There was great shock among section 39 workers and disability service providers that they may be excluded from this. These are front-line staff who have worked in residential, respite, day and clinical services. At the height of the pandemic in March 2020, these staff donned personal protective equipment and worked in Covid-19 environments and family homes to provide continuity of services for the people they support. The Tánaiste stated last week that healthcare staff wearing gowns and masks and who are exposed to Covid-19 in clinical settings should receive special recognition. Are section 39 workers being considered for this payment that is being discussed in government at the moment?

The key test we are using is whether the workers were involved in the provision of healthcare. As the Deputy knows, we included, in respect of private employment, people working in nursing homes and hospices. The Department of Health is now drawing up the detailed guidelines. There will certainly be some people working with section 39 organisations who are directly involved in healthcare provision. We are looking in particular at the whole area of congregated settings because they are very similar in nature to nursing homes. All those details are currently being worked out.