I move:
That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend and extend the Parental Leave Act 1998.
I thank the House for the opportunity to move the Bill.
I commend the change in Standing Orders that allows for these statements. It is very welcome. The expert advisory group report on the early years strategy was published a number of weeks ago. It set a realistic and achievable target that, by 2018, we would have 52 weeks paid parental leave. My Bill is a bridge towards achieving that.
I acknowledge the limitations of the Bill. There are restrictions on legislation placing a charge on the Exchequer so the extension of parental leave I propose, to 36 weeks, will not be paid. When the Government reads and studies my Bill, I hope the Minister will work with me to ensure the Bill can be amended as it moves through the Stages of the House so that it is paid parental leave, which is my ambition. As a first step to stimulate debate and discussion about the need to extend parental leave, I have published the Bill and look forward to it being debated. As we develop social policy into the next decade, the need for family friendly policies is crucial. International evidence tells us the early years are crucial in terms of the psychological, physical and other development of the child. Where possible, parental leave should be extended so that parents can spend as much time as possible with children in the important early weeks. My Bill allows both parents to decide how to allocate the extension of leave.
People will be concerned about what happened in practice with regard to the Government's commitment to the early years and previous decisions to reduce maternity leave payments and to tax them. There seems to be a division between what is said about the early years, making sure the workplace is family friendly and making sure people's incomes are protected, and what is happening on the ground. Regrettably, the Government continues to target families and reduce incomes related to the early years. The Government cut child benefit and other payments to families. That is a regrettable and regressive policy. In proposing the Bill, I do so in a constructive way. I hope we can engage across the House to see parental leave extended. I hope we can work together to use the mechanisms of the House to ensure this is done on a paid basis. I look forward to debating the Bill in detail.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, supports in principle the extension of paid parental leave. It is a challenge to the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and to the Government. If they are really interested in proposals rooted in evidence-based policy, they will engage with this Bill and support it as it moves through the House.
