Government will not oppose bill to extend unpaid parental leave
Social Democrats TDs brought the Parental Leave Bill before the Dáil yesterday, saying it would allow parents take a total of six months unpaid leave from work without their rights being affected.
The current rules allow 18 weeks unpaid leave per child aged up to eight years of age.
The Government said they would not oppose the bill and could amend it later but their preference is to increase paid parental leave, as promised under the programme for government.
Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty said she wants to increase maternity and paternity leave up to paid 12 months of total paid parentalleave.
There is currently paid maternity leave of 26 weeks and paternity leave of two weeks.
Statutory paternity leave entitlements were introduced on September 1, 2016, but only about half of fathers since are taking it up.
The minister said moving towards a full year for joint paid leave could not be done over one budget.
Social Democrat co-founder Róisín Shortall said there was no substitute for paid leave but that more unpaid leave would give parents “flexibility”.
What would our new work-life balance proposal mean for you and your family? Our Spokesperson for Children @WhitmoreJen explains all below. Find out more on our new reforms here: https://t.co/HsXGl2kz87 pic.twitter.com/AEG3KtfzLl
— Social Democrats (@SocDems) February 8, 2018
Parents could also spend more time with their children and reduce the costs of care. The European standard for leave was also 98 weeks, said co-founder Catherine Murphy.
In the Dáil, junior justice minister David Stanton confirmed the Government would not oppose the bill.
An inter-departmental group is examining the matter and expected to report in April on how extended leave may affect parents, the workplace and the labour force.
Mr Stanton said: “Our focus is now on introducing parental leave on a paid basis. The benefits of such an approach for families and for children are obvious.
"I would urge the Deputies to work with the Government to see how we can develop legislation that builds on what is already in train in the EU and domestically.
"I believe that by collaborating on an agreed approach, we can develop legislation that responds more effectively to the needs of women, of men, of parents and children alike.”
Other problems needed to be considered, it was suggested: “Extending an unpaid family leave requirement would make it more likely that the lower paid of the two parents, often the mother, would take the unpaid leave, with consequent impacts for these mothers in terms of pay and pension entitlements.”
