Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 December 2023
489. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth following reports by the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative that women in Ireland struggle to access breastfeeding support, if he will consider introducing legislation for the provision of longer maternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53755/23]
View answerThe Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 enacted on 4 April 2023 included amendments to the Maternity Protection Acts to provide for the extension of breastfeeding breaks for employees to two years after the birth of the child. An order amending regulations relating to breastfeeding breaks made under the Maternity Protection Acts was also made on that date.
The extension of this entitlement to employees who have given birth within the previous two years is in line with commitments in FIRST 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families and the National Strategy for Women and Girls. Officials in my Department undertook targeted consultations with employer representative groups and social partners in relation to this proposal.
The Minister for Health holds the policy on the broader promotion of breastfeeding from a public health perspective.
Under the Maternity Protection Acts 1994-2004, a pregnant employee is entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave and a maternity benefit is also payable. A further period of 16 weeks maternity leave may also be taken but there is no associated benefit.
Parents can also avail of their entitlement to Parent's Leave, introduced under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 and subsequently extended. Parent’s leave entitles each parent to 7 weeks’ leave during the first 2 years of a child’s life, or in the case of adoption, within 2 years of the placement of the child with the family. The intention of parent’s leave is to enable parents to spend time with their child in the earliest years and is deliberately non-transferable between parents to ensure that both parents are encouraged and supported in taking time out from work to spend time with their child. This is further supported through the provision of Parent’s Benefit to eligible parents who satisfy certain PRSI conditions while on Parent’s Leave, and is paid at an equivalent rate to maternity, paternity and adoptive benefits.
In line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, Parent’s Leave and Benefit is required to increase by an additional two weeks to nine weeks by August 2024. In Budget 2024, the Government provided for the number of weeks of Parent's Leave and Benefit available to eligible parents to be increased from seven weeks to nine weeks from August 2024. The additional two weeks leave and benefit will apply to parents of children who are under age two in August 2024 or, in the case of adoption, where less than two years have passed since the child's placement. The Department of Social Protection is responsible for the associated changes to Parent's Benefit for the increased period of leave.
Taken together, these forms of family leave should support parents of very young children.
All forms of family leave are kept under review to ensure that they are effective in supporting families and children.
