Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 June 2004
72 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the efforts her Department has made to encourage employers to allow employees extended career breaks to look after their very young children. [18237/04]
View answerThe development of work-life balance policies in Ireland is addressed on two fronts: through appropriate legislative measures which provide for statutory entitlements such as maternity leave, adoptive leave, carer's leave and parental leave and through the work of the national framework committee for work-life balance policies, allied to a partnership approach in the workplace between employers, employees and trade unions.
To support and facilitate family-friendly policies in the workplace, the social partners agreed under Sustaining Progress to extend the remit of the national framework committee, which was originally established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The committee, which is chaired by my Department, is now known as the national framework committee for work-life balance policies. The committee has been charged with supporting and facilitating the development of a package of practical measures that can be applied at the level of the enterprise. One of the tasks assigned to the committee is examining how best to improve access to family-friendly working arrangements, to realise the potential benefits that the arrangements would offer from an equality and competitiveness perspective. A range of work-life balance options may be considered at the level of the enterprise, including part-time working, e-working, career breaks and flexi-time.
As we try to achieve work-life balance in individual enterprises, we are challenged with establishing policies that reflect the reality of the workplace and meet the many diverse needs of employees. A partnership approach is the best way to address work-life balance policies at this level, to achieve tailor-made solutions to the benefit of the workforce and the employer. The Government is committed to a two-pronged approach to achieving the goal of making workplaces more family-friendly. I refer to the provision of statutory entitlements through legislative measures and the voluntary approach at the level of the enterprise, which is encouraged at national level by the national framework committee for work-life balance policies.
