Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
658. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if work is ongoing within his Department to devise a mechanism that would enable councillors to avail of maternity or paternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14565/21]
View answerTo ensure that local government is accessible to all and representative of the communities it serves, I recognise the need to address with urgency the matter of maternity and paternity leave for local authority elected members.
I recently approved the establishment of a working group of local government stakeholders to examine the non-pay recommendations set out in the Review of the Role and Remuneration of Local Authority Elected Members, led by Ms Sara Moorhead SC. The group met for the first time in early February and a number of times since, and is drafting an Action Plan for the implementation of Ms Moorhead's non-pay recommendations. The terms of reference for the group include examination of the recommendation regarding parental and maternity leave, and this will be explored further by the group. However, as the issue warrants prompt attention and requires consideration of wider supports other than leave, I have asked the working group to establish a councillor subgroup to examine specifically all aspects of the issue of maternity supports. My intention is that there will be developments in this area as soon as is practical.
In parallel, I have directed my officials to liaise with their counterparts in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Affairs, who are examining the issue of maternity supports for Oireachtas members, to ensure that there is a consistency in approach. As will be appreciated, there are a number of legal and practical issues that must be comprehensively considered.
I am committed to inputting constructively to consideration of this matter, but also to addressing in a progressive manner obstacles to balanced gender representation in local government in this country.
