Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to classify long Covid as an industrial injury, following the recommendations of the report COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts, published by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council in November 2022; and if so, when.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) can be paid. IIAC's advice is limited to entitlement to benefits under the Industrial Injuries Scheme and does not cover the classification of ‘an industrial injury’ more widely.

In November 2022, IIAC published a Command Paper which recommended five severe post-COVID-19 complications should bring entitlement to IIDB for certain health and social care workers. In November 2024, IIAC published a further command paper which concluded that the 2022 recommendation should be extended to cover certain transport workers.

The department is carrying out a detailed assessment of the recommendations in both reports and will respond in due course.

In its most recent command paper, IIAC concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence available to recommend prescription for further complications following COVID-19 infection, or for further occupations. IIAC will continue to keep the situation under review and monitor the evidence and available data.