Dáil will pass welfare legislation to help workers affected by virus

The Dáil and Seanad will sit next week to pass emergency social protection legislation to assist private sector workers affected by coronavirus.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney said "we have legislation that we need to pass and we need to do that quickly I hope and expect that we'll get the full co-operation from all the parties in the Dáil and Seanad to do that".

Mr Coveney said he would be speaking to party leaders and he hoped to agree with them and Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl the most appropriate way to deal with the legislation.

Discussions are under way about the possibility of party whips ensuring that only a representative number of TDs need to be in the chamber at the time of any votes on the legislation. This is aimed at ensuring that TDs are not sitting too close together in the Dáil chamber for votes.

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Mr Coveney was speaking at the announcement of unprecedented measures to try to limit the spread of coronavirus including recommendations that indoor social gatherings of more than 100 people should not take place.

The Dáil has 160 TDs but Minister for Health Simon Harris stressed the differentiation between public gatherings and the workplace. "Dáil and Seanad Éireann are a workplace," he said.

Mr Coveney agreed that was an “important distinction”.

He said the guidelines they were introducing were not meant to shutdown workplaces of more than 100 people.

In Leinster House preparations are under way to encourage social distancing in the workplace.

In the public canteen seating will be removed and food will be served for takeaway only for Oireachtas staff and politicians to eat in their offices.

Sick pay

The emergency social protection measures were approved as part of a €2.4 billion package to deal with the crisis.

Under the Social Welfare Bill 2020 private sector workers will receive a new level of sick pay of €305 a week from their first day of illness as part of the provisions.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said earlier this week that existing conditions around sick payments including the obligation to have a specified number of PRSI contributions would be waived. The self-employed will also be eligible for payments.

The objective of the emergency legislation is to ensure that workers are not disincentivised to self-isolate because of economic necessity.

The Government had already decided last week that State employees would receive special leave with pay if they had to self-isolate in line with HSE advice and where flexible working arrangements were not possible.