Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
326. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider extending maternity leave and benefit for those women moving onto the unpaid entitlement phase of their maternity leave during the Covid-19 crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8875/20]
View answer327. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he is considering extending maternity leave for mothers of newborn babies on a temporary basis in view of the effects of Covid-19 on society in general and particularly on crèches and childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8948/20]
View answer328. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to extend maternity leave by three months for those currently on maternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9604/20]
View answer330. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to extend maternity and paternity leave for parents whose babies were born during the Covid-19 lockdown period that prevented much needed family and community support. [8340/20]
View answer337. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he can extend paid maternity leave and maternity benefit without a change in primary legislation; his plans to make changes in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8460/20]
View answer342. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if consideration will be given to extending the period of maternity leave for persons whose leave ended during the Covid-19 pandemic in view of the fact that there were issues with those coming off maternity leave specifically with regard to being enrolled on their employers' wage subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8507/20]
View answer343. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider extending maternity leave and maternity benefit to all those on maternity leave since the outbreak of Covid-19 in view of the restrictions on access to childcare and other services for mothers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8522/20]
View answer344. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if consideration has been given to extending the period for maternity leave in order to accommodate those who have been affected by the Covid-19 lockdown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8530/20]
View answer357. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he or his officials have examined the possibility of extending the period of maternity leave permitted in view of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed to curtail it is having on new mothers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8705/20]
View answer406. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if extended maternity leave will be granted to mothers due to go back to work during the Covid-19 lockdown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9617/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 326 to 328, inclusive, 330, 337, 342 to 344, inclusive, 357 and 406 together.
As the law now stands, a mother is entitled to this leave irrespective of the duration of her current employment. The mother can take maternity leave from casual or part-time employment. She can take up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, and up to a further 16 weeks of unpaid leave. Two weeks must be taken before the baby is due, and at least four weeks must be taken after the birth. As Minister of State for Justice and Equality, the legislation that governs the provision of maternity leave is my responsibility and any such amendment would likely require primary legislation. The provision of maternity benefit is under the remit of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These matters are currently being examined by Government.
As the Deputy will be aware on 29 May the Minister for Finance announced changes to the Wage Subsidy Scheme to accommodate the salaries of parents returning from maternity or adoptive leave. The changes are aimed at individuals who may not have been on the payroll of their employer on 29 February, or been paid in either January or February 2020 and will allow for consistent treatment with other employees.
Minister Donohoe has advised that the amendment will be legislated for later in the year as part of the usual Finance Bill 2020 process, but that in the interim Revenue has agreed that the provision will be implemented from 26 March where applicable. Input from employers is required and relevant employers are therefore encouraged to contact Revenue when the system update is launched so that the process of including the salaries of affected employees may begin as quickly as possible. It is expected the update will be launched on 12 June.
I am conscious of demands on parents at this time and hope that the additional measures to support working parents that I have introduced in recent years, including the new parent’s leave scheme and an extension of parental leave, are helping to ease some of these demands. In addition to maternity leave, each parent may also avail of two weeks of parent’s leave during the first year of a child’s life and may qualify for parent’s benefit during this period. Parental leave is also available which entitles parents to take unpaid leave from work to spend time looking after their children. Parents can take up to 22 weeks of parental leave for each eligible child before their 12th birthday.
