Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 April 2024
71. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is planning any changes to the current statutory sick pay scheme; if paid sick leave days and the maximum sick leave pay will be affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17045/24]
View answerThe Sick Leave Act which commenced on 1 January 2023 provided an initial statutory entitlement of 3 days which increased to 5 days on 1 January 2024 and this could potentially increase to 7 days in 2025 and 10 days in 2026.
Payment by employers to employees for statutory sick leave days is currently set at 70% of an employee’s average gross earnings, up to daily cap of €110. The rate of 70% was chosen to ensure excessive costs were not placed on employers, who in certain sectors may also have to deal with the cost of replacing staff who are out sick at short notice.
However I know that some businesses, particularly SMEs, are facing increased costs and have concerns about the cumulative impacts of increased labour regulation. That is why the Government has introduced a range of measures to support these businesses in adjusting to new measures to improve working conditions, along with more generally improving the cost competitiveness of firms.
Officials in my Department are carefully assessing the impact of statutory sick leave on businesses by sector and company size to inform the decision in respect of the timing and scale of the next phase in the rollout of the scheme, including the number of days covered.
