I am pleased to confirm that, in order to support parents of children born during the strict lockdown measures, the Government intends to extend Parents’ Leave from two weeks to five weeks for each parent of all children born or adopted on or after 1 November 2019.
The Government also intends to extend the period in which Parents’ Leave can be taken up until that child turns two years or, in the case of an adoption, two years after the adoption placement date of the child. This extension will apply to parents who may have already availed of their existing entitlements.
Heads of a Bill to effect these changes were approved by the Government this week and it is anticipated that the legislation will be introduced in the New Year.
Payment of Parents’ Benefit is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection, and I understand that it will take time for the relevant IT system changes to be made. As a result, the estimated timescale for the necessary updates being put in place is April 2021.
However, I am examining whether it may be possible for Parents’ Leave to be taken in advance of these changes and the benefit claimed retrospectively, once the legislation has been enacted. I will take advice from Parliamentary Counsel to ensure that it is possible to draft the legislation in this way. I will ensure that parents are fully informed of their entitlements in this regard as soon as possible.
Myself, the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform have discussed this issue with the view to progressing it as soon as possible.
The extension to Parents’ Leave and Benefit follows a number of advancements in family leaves in recent years, including the introduction of Parents’ Leave and Benefit in 2019 and the extension of unpaid parental leave to 26 weeks in September this year for a child under 12 years.
As part of the same legislation, I will also be bringing proposals on adoptive leave. This will allow all adopting couples, whether same sex or opposite sex, to have the right to select which of them would be the qualified adopter for the purposes of taking adoptive leave and benefit. This is an important provision which was committed to in the Programme for Government.
The proposed adoptive leave proposals will also enable married male same-sex adopting couples to be eligible for adoptive leave. It will also enable all adopting couples – same-sex and opposite-sex – to be able to choose which of the couple should take the adoptive leave. At the moment, adoptive leave is structured so that the adopting mother takes the leave. The new provisions would enable either the adopting mother or the adopting father to be eligible to take adoptive leave once the choice has been made by the couple.
