Members, these are tremendously emotive matters. I understand the pressure people are under but please let us adhere to the time limits. I call Deputy Denis Naughten.

On 9 November, my colleagues and I in the Regional Group secured the unanimous support of this House for a motion on long Covid seeking immediate action because of the impact it is having on our health service. That includes studies such as the one published in the Irish Medical Journal in June 2021 which found that long Covid had a significant impact on our health system, particularly in terms of increased demand for healthcare services, longer hospital stays and increased healthcare costs. Another study by researchers in Trinity College Dublin, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal in September 2021, estimated that up to 11% of individuals infected with Covid-19 in Ireland are likely to experience long Covid which could lead to a significant burden on our healthcare system.

Patients with long Covid, many of whom are young with no underlying health conditions, are presenting to our health services with prolonged, multisystem symptoms that are impacting on their daily lives, affecting their ability to work and causing significant disability for some. Long Covid also has a significant impact on our workforce. It costs millions of euro in lost work and welfare. Data from the Department of Social Protection have shown that 0.8% of those who contracted Covid-19 and claimed the enhanced illness benefit payment were medically certified as being unfit to work 12 weeks later. If this is extrapolated across the total number of people infected with Covid-19 within the adult population, it equates to more than 21,400 people. The welfare data also show that 35% of workers on disability payments as a result of Covid-19 are out of work for at least six months.

Our motion called for the designation of long Covid as an occupational illness for front-line workers who contracted the virus due to their employment. Long Covid being listed as an occupational illness would allow front-line workers to avail of long-term income assistance until they are fit to return to work. At present, only healthcare workers who were out sick prior to 15 November 2021, which was before the Omicron variant was detected, are able to avail of paid leave. This will cease in June this year if they have not made a full recovery which would allow them to return to work. All other front-line workers, including healthcare workers out sick due to long Covid contracted as a result of their work, are now excluded from any support from their employers. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, has given a commitment to address this issue. She has written to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, looking to move on this issue. The former has responded positively.

She is still awaiting a response from the latter. Will the Tánaiste intervene, ensure the response is forthcoming and address this issue?

I thank the Deputy. In the context of his recent announcement, I wish him the very best, although he very quickly said to me in the corridor that it would not spare him from harassing me, politically speaking, for the next while. He will be as robust as ever.

I acknowledge the Deputy's long-standing and consistent support of the long Covid issue. Very few Deputies have put as much work as he has into endeavouring to understand the prevalence of long Covid across the population and the consequences for individuals and families. I appreciate that. He has argued on the health side for quite some time. The Minister for Health is primarily responsible for developing a national strategy and service for long Covid. Some €2.2 million was allocated for service development last year. The figure for 2023 is €6.6 million. That will ensure the provision of post-acute and long Covid clinics operating within each hospital group to ensure there is a national service. Post-acute clinics are managing patients between four and 12 weeks after the initial onset of infection. Long Covid clinics are managing patients 12 weeks post the onset of infection. The Deputy knows the list of hospitals involved.

It is important that we work on the research side and endeavour to get a proper handle on the longer term implications. The Deputy focused on occupational illness today. He has had good responses from the Ministers, Deputies Humphreys and Coveney. He knows the way Government works. This is an issue we will examine. Fundamentally, we will come to the Estimates and have collective responsibility. It will be an issue we have to examine collectively with the Ministers for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and Finance. The Deputy has made a reasonable case. I appreciate that and we will work across government to address this aspect of the long Covid issue.

We have made significant progress on the health side in terms of the provision of a wide range of facilities, including a tertiary neurocognitive clinic in St. James's Hospital, led by a consultant neurologist. There will be many multidimensional aspects to the long Covid issue we will have to deal with over the longer time. On the income and occupational illness side, the Deputy has identified an issue we have to come back to him on. We are examining it within Government.

The Estimates are too far away. Many front-line workers are getting no support from their employers or through the occupational system. For some front-line healthcare workers, the money will run out next June so money coming at the end of the year is no good.

As I said, we are talking about, on a population basis, over 21,000 people who may be unfit to work due to long Covid. That figure excludes people who have relapsed after initial recovery and the many thousands more who are still in employment but are struggling with the illness. For many of these people, the sad fact is that trying to get care and treatment is nearly impossible. On average, they will wait six months to access a non-Covid clinic and if they happen to be unfortunate enough to be in Dublin, they will wait more than 12 months. At the same time, the Mater hospital long Covid clinic, which treated neurological conditions such as brain fog associated with long Covid, closed at the end of last year, forcing patients to travel abroad to get treatment. When will we have a fully functional long Covid clinic network across the country?

As I said, the national service is being rolled out with about €6.6 million allocated for 2023. That will provide post-acute and long Covid clinics. The long Covid clinics currently operational under the new model of care include St. Vincent's University Hospital, Beaumont Hospital and University Hospital Galway. The post-acute Covid clinics operational under the new model of care include University Hospital Galway, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown. In addition, Tallaght University Hospital and St. James's Hospital operate combined post-acute and long Covid clinics. Cork University Hospital held its first dedicated long Covid and post-acute clinics for patients in December.

The location of specific clinics is, of course, a matter for the HSE as we roll this out. I have mentioned the tertiary neurocognitive clinic in St. James's Hospital, led by a consultant neurologist with a background in neurocognitive disorders. The clinic is accepting referrals from long Covid post-acute clinics around the country.

In addition to the new clinics established and funded under the interim model of care, some additional hospitals are operating long Covid clinics on an ad hoc basis. Recruitment has been substantial to date. Resources are being provided for 66 staff at those clinics and I understand 34 people have been recruited so far.