I again raise the issue of healthcare workers with long Covid whose payments are about to be cut off and who have been repeatedly failed by the State. As the Taoiseach knows, I raised this previously and I wrote to him about this. This is a small group of workers who got Covid at the peak of the pandemic and have debilitating symptoms which mean they cannot return to work. The special scheme ended on 31 January. It was extended for some people on sick leave, but payments been cut off today for some of those people. The Government is going to plunge them into poverty. Two women drove from Laois to Cork to meet me recently. Rose got Covid during the meaningful Christmas. She is a single parent living at home with her child. Her mortgage is €800 a month. She is now going to be on a social welfare payment of €254 per week. She is worried about losing her house, Taoiseach. She said that she went from the front line to the bread line. These are decisions that the Taoiseach and his Government are making. We urgently need a permanent solution here for these workers who served the State so well.

I have responded on a number of occasions and I have met with survivors of long Covid. We have responded at every juncture, as the Deputy has kind of acknowledged there. This issue has been through the WRC, as the Deputy knows. It is not as if consideration has not been given to the issue. I have met trade unions in respect of this. We will continue to keep the matter under review, but it is not simple.